The Dark Seeker Saga: MEKA
by Nexanda77
Summary: When Ven comes to MEKA, Master Eraqus' Keyblade Academy, he brings with him the dark past he is trying to run from. With all the keyblade wielders coming together to learn from one master, MEKA seems safe. But the darkness on the outside is creeping in with a sinister plan that will change the course of their lives forever. TxA VenxZack Warning: A little bit of yaoi and a few OCs.
1. Perfection

**MEKA, which stands for Master Eraqus' Keyblade Academy, is located on the small and isolated world known as The Land of Departure. It is a school for a select few; keyblade wielders who are training to become masters. At the time our story begins, there is one wise master by the name of Master Eraqus teaching there and his two students, Terra and Aqua, are the only wielders currently enrolled at this great school. Master Eraqus has devoted his entire life to preparing the next generation of keyblade masters as his master had done before him, and his master's master before that. However, it seems each new generation shrinks and shrinks as those worthy to hold the keyblade diminish in numbers. Sadly, keyblade wielders are so sparse the worlds have been forced to look after themselves and have begun to fear all outside influence. The power of the keyblade remains as strong as ever, but the darkness seems to have tarnished it's pure light.**

**This is the story of the next generation. Those who will shape the future of the worlds band together at MEKA and, under the tutelage of Master Eraqus, they will become heroes of light who will reunite the worlds and bring peace to all walks of life. Or so would be the case if things had gone according to plan. But there is evil in this story. A darkness so powerful that the shadows themselves have come alive to join it. This story is the fight for light; a fight that must be won, whatever the cost may be. Will MEKA prepare its students to come out on top of the war for the worlds, or will they be woefully inadequate against the storm that is coming?**

**The stage is set.**

**The future is unclear.**

**And our heroes are scattered, unaware of their purpose in the coming war.**

**But there is no turning back. It has already begun**.

Chapter 1 Perfection

"C'mon you two pick up the pace! Let's go! Move those feet! Terra I said move! You are not cemented to that spot! Aqua! I saw that! Hold your keyblade higher! Letting your keyblade drop like that leaves you wide open!" Eraqus barks out his commands while the his two students spar in front of him. He is exaggerating. Terra has been on the balls of his feet the entire fight and Aqua had only lowered her keyblade half an inch. But what good of a teacher would he be if he let the little things slide? Perfection is his only standard, anything short of that is not allowed. These children-

He stops himself. He could no longer consider them children and he knows they would be offended if he were to say that they were out loud.

These young adults know his expectations and strive to achieve them. Sometimes he wonders if he is too critical and too selective in his praise, but as he watches Terra moves around Aqua with new agility forcing her to spin around to meet him. However, Aqua, now focusing on keeping her guard up at all times, easily blocks Terra's keyblade and they continue their equally matched fight.

Eraqus smiles, proud. He has been Aqua and Terra's teacher since they were both five. He had been the one to bestow on them the keyblade which they had both proved themselves worthy of in the years they had spent with him at MEKA. To Eraqus, it is amazing and slightly sad to remember the young naive children Aqua and Terra had been and see how far they have really come.

They are both excellent students. Aqua is more focused and disciplined, but Terra is physically stronger and a good leader. Together they are unstoppable and Eraqus knows that he has succeeded as their master. Eraqus may be critical, but Aqua and Terra know how to take it in stride. He lets them fight for another five minutes pointing out the smallest flaws in their technique. Then he puts his fingers to his lips and lets out a piercing whistle.

Both immediately freeze mid fight, locked face to face with their keyblades pressing against each other, then relax. Panting they let their keyblade drop to their sides and take a step forward towards one another. Terra holds out his hand and Aqua shakes it with a nod. Eraqus has always insisted they shake after every fight no matter the outcome because they are not fighting to win and he never wants them to forget to give their opponent the respect he or she deserves.

"Good...good job," Terra says between breaths. He lets his bulky keyblade vanish.

"You too," Aqua says wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand after letting her more slender keyblade disappear as well. They walk over to Eraqus slowly recovering from the long fighting session. He hands them each a bottle of water with a kind smile which they accept gratefully.

While they each gulp down the water he says, "You both fought well today. I think you will both agree that the match ended in a tie." They nod in agreement. "As always there is room for improvement, but very little." Terra coughs, choking on his water. "Are you alright Terra?" Eraqus asks.

After another cough Terra says, "I'm fine Master Eraqus. Just surprised. You always say we can still improve a great deal."

Eraqus nods solemnly, "And you have improved a great deal. I believe you are both almost ready for your mark of mastery exams."

Aqua and Terra look at each other in excited disbelief. Their goal has always been to pass the mark and become full keyblade masters, but it has always seemed like a dream far off in the future. Now Master Eraqus was telling them they are close and it seemed crazy to think this life changing moment is almost upon them. "But now," Eraqus says, "I think you two should get yourselves cleaned up and prepare dinner. When we dine we can talk more about the future."

Knowing they are dismissed for now, the two turn and leave the sparring room headed for their bedrooms on the opposite side of the castle. The castle is much too big for the three people that live inside and they pass many doors that lead only to empty rooms along the way. They also pass windows which reveal that during the fighting session the sun had set and the stars had come out. They don't say much to each other, but the silence isn't awkward. They have lived nearly their whole lives together and found that sometimes it was amicable to just walk together in silence. When the hallway splits at a T junction, they go their separate ways. Aqua to the right and Terra to the left. Each walks into their own spacious bedroom complete with a bathroom. They both head for the showers to refresh from a tough lesson and consider with excitement what the future held for them.

Meanwhile in his study, overlooking the front entrance and the beautiful front gardens, Eraqus sits with his back to the darkened windows reading through the stack of letters that have arrived by carrier pigeon that day. As a keyblade master he is responsible for knowing what is happening in all the worlds and he took that duty very seriously. Even so, some days he finds it hard to concentrate on the minor problems various world leaders whine about in their letters to him. Today is one of those days and with a sigh he flips through the stack hoping to chance upon something important. The curly script one letter is addressed with catches his eye. He knows that writing anywhere. Yen Sid only ever writes when he senses something in the worlds that needs an immediate intervention of keyblade wielders. Curious, Eraqus quickly opens the letter and leans back in his chair his brow furrowing in concentration as he deciphers the flowy handwriting.

...

"Is it ready yet Aqua?" Terra asks opening the oven and peeking in at the covered dish baking inside.

"I told you ten more minutes, but its going to take longer if you keep opening the oven door and letting the heat out!" Aqua replies exasperated at Terra's insistence on asking the same question every two minutes since the smell of cooking chicken had filled the air of the kitchen. "Now come over here and help me." She says and Terra closes the oven door with one last wistful look and walks over to the table where she is preparing a salad. She presses a ripe tomato still damp from being washed into his hand and with a sigh he grabs a cutting board and a knife then sits down beside her. They work in silence except for the slice of their knives.

Terra's stomach growls loudly. "Is it ready yet?" He asks desperately and Aqua laughs.

She tips her sliced cucumber into the bowl of lettuce and says, "Five more minutes."

Terra sighs again and goes back to his tomato while Aqua busys herself with getting the table set. When he finishes, Terra dumps his tomatoes into the salad and collects the cutting boards and knives taking them to the sink. He is busy scrubbing them clean when the timer on the oven wails loudly. He grins broadly and hurries over wiping his hands on a dish towel. Terra turns the timer off while Aqua carefully pulls the dish out. She places it on the stove top removing the lid. She stares down at it critically for a moment while Terra taps his foot impatiently. "It's done." She finally announces and Terra let's out a whoop of excitement. "Wow you really are in a good mood today," Aqua says to him as she lifts the casserole once more and brings it to the table.

"Of course I am! We are so close. It won't be long until the two of us are Keyblade Masters. Can you just imagine?" His eyes are far off, "Master Terra and Master Aqua. How cool is that!"

She smiles at him, "Very cool."

They sit down at the table just as Master Eraqus walks in. Terra barely glances at his master, he eyes focused on the casserole steaming in front of him.

"Master Eraqus is something wrong?" Hearing Aqua's worried voice Terra looks up seeing Master Eraqus standing next to the table with a strange look on his face.

"I am unsure. I got a letter from Yen Sid today. It was very strange and cryptic even for him." Eraqus sits down and helps himself to the casserole. It is a sign that this will be discussed while they eat. So as soon as Master Eraqus has served himself, Terra give himself a generous helping and digs right in. Between bites Eraqus continues, "In his letter, Yen Sid expressed his concern with the world of Carinol. According to him there is a lot of darkness in the world. So much so that he is surprised it still exists and has not faded into the darkness. Yen Sid believes that there is some great light power there keeping the world from slipping away. This is where he got very cryptic. He said he had an idea of what was there but didn't offer up his theory. He did however say that the light had suddenly grown dim and was fading." Master Eraqus pauses gauging the reaction of his two students. They both seem a little confused but still concerned for the fading light. He continues, "Yen Sid has asked us to investigate the source of the light."

"So are we leaving tonight?" Aqua asks and Eraqus nods. At once Terra kicks into high gear trying to take in as much food as possible before they have to go.

"But it is not 'we'," Eraqus says. "The two of you will handle this on your own."

Terra swallows with some difficulty and asks, "Why aren't you coming?"

"I believe it is time for you to go on your first unsupervised mission. I have taught you all I know and it is time to see if any of it stuck." He smiles at the two young adults who are looking a little apprehensive. "I have full confidence that you both are ready for this. Finish your dinner and get packed quickly."

Terra quickly wolfs down the rest of his dinner and sprints back upstairs. He searches through his closet and finds a small black backpack. He shoves some spare clothes inside and hurries back to the kitchen. Only Eraqus is there, Aqua is presumably in her room packing her own bag. Eraqus helps Terra pack some food not knowing how long it will take them to find this light.

Aqua returns with a brown backpack slung over one shoulder. "I grabbed a first aid kit, did you pack the food?"

"Yep got enough for at least two days," Terra replied zipping his backpack shut and putting it on his back.

Master Eraqus leads the way outside and down the steps of the castle. He stares at the sky for a minute and then points. "That one is Carinol," Terra can't follow his finger exactly to the world Master Eraqus is pointing to but he got the gist of the direction they should head in.

"Alright," Terra says. Both he and Aqua summon their keyblades and toss them into the air. They travel in a large arc and as they return they grow larger and morph into gliders. As the gliders return to them, Terra and Aqua press the button on the armor sleeve on each of their shoulders and in a flash of light their armor appears.

Terra hops aboard his glider and Aqua does the same. They begin to rise in the air towards the stars in the sky. "Stay safe!" Master Eraqus' voice is distant and Terra looks back seeing how far off the ground they are. They continue to ascend and soon Master Eraqus and his home are left behind as he and Aqua pull away from their world heading off in the direction of Carinol.

**First chapter done! I'm SO pumped for this story! I know not a whole lot happened in this chapter but I had to start somewhere.**

**I'm going to say this once and it goes for this entire story:**

**I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS. I only own my original characters and original worlds as well as all original parts of the story line**.

**Write a review and look out for the next chapter**.


	2. Carinol

Chapter 2 Carinol

Terra and Aqua land in a small clearing in an unfamiliar forest. Together they dismiss their armor and turn their gliders back into keyblades. As they had flown in, they had seen a small farming town to the east and they set off in that direction weaving their way slowly through the trees in the dark. In less than 20 minutes, they broke through the trees and emerged on top of a small hill with the quaint town spread out haphazardly below them.

"Do you think the Light is down there?" Terra asks Aqua who shrugs.

"We won't know unless we take a look around." So they set off down the hill and enter the town hoping to find the Light they had been sent to find.

But they couldn't have been more wrong.

The town is as dark as they come. As they walk down the main street of the town dirty faces peek out of alleyways at them with evil grins and quick hands that could take all your money and be gone before you realized a hand had been in your pocket at all. Aqua moves closer to Terra as they made their way past and the faces reluctantly melt back into the shadows.

Men whisper in pairs under the street lamps and in secretive motions money is exchanged for drugs. Their heads shoot up as Aqua and Terra approach and their eyes narrow as if daring the strangers to question them.

Dirty girls with ratty hair stumble around half drunk falling into the arms of whoever passes by giggling. Within seconds they disappear into a nearly house, the door shutting with a bang behind them. "Why don't you come over here and have a real party hottie?" Aqua doesn't realize the robust girl sitting on a porch swing smoking a cigarette is talking to Terra until she says, "Drop the blue twig and come see how a real woman does it." She shoots the girl a death glare and looks at Terra whose jaw is set and his eyes stare down the road not even glancing in the girl's direction. Her disgusting calls follow them down the street until they are out of earshot.

"This place is awful," Aqua says quietly.

"I know," Terra replies. "Its hard to believe that there is a strong light somewhere around here."

A loud uproar catches their attention and they stop, watching as the doors to a building labeled 'Foxy Ladies' are thrown open and the loud music spills out onto the street. Two men as big as Terra drag a much smaller man out and toss him on the sidewalk. Without a backwards glance, the thugs go back inside shutting the doors cutting off the music. The man on the sidewalk gets to his feet unsteadily and begins to stumble in the other direction of Terra and Aqua muttering to himself just loud enough for them to hear, "Look, don't touch. Look, don't touch. C'mon Marty you know better than that." Aqua and Terra hurry on anxious to get out of this town.

Leaving the town behind them they relax. On the this side of town there is another forest or maybe its the same one they were in before, its too dark to tell. The dirt road they are following continues into the trees and they walk down the middle not knowing where else to go. They walk for an hour barely speaking like they are afraid to break the still silence of the forest. Then out of nowhere the heartless come.

Training takes over and in a similar movement Aqua and Terra summon their keyblades and charge the monsters. Aqua easily takes out two shadows and a soldier with a combo move while Terra works on taking a large body down. From behind a red nocturne comes and crashes into Aqua. Red hot pain flashes across her back. She spins around quickly, locking on to the darting foe, and, summoning her magic, she points her keyblade at the heartless and shouts, "Blizzard!" The heartless turns to ice and drops like a stone but it dies before hitting the ground. Terra had gotten rid of the large body and hurries over to her looking around for more heartless to jump out of the shadows. But none appear.

"Curaga," he says as reaches Aqua and cool relief flows over her back healing her burns.

"Thanks," she says to Terra rolling her shoulder blades making sure everything still worked right. "Let's keep moving." She takes the lead heading off again down the road now more alert for another attack.

Not long after something catches Terra's eye far ahead on the road. He squints but can't make out what it is. Its too far away and too dark. "Do you see that?" He asks Aqua pointing.

She squints as well and replies, "Yeah there is something white lying on the road."

They walk faster curious to see what it is. They get closer and Aqua realizes with a gasp that its a blond boy with a white jacket lying face down in the road. She runs forward and kneels down putting her hand gently on his shoulder. He doesn't respond so she turns him over and gasps again. His white jacket is ripped to shreds and stained with blood. Terra now kneeling on the other side of the boy quickly undoes his jacket pulling it open to reveal that his T-shirt is also soaked with half dried blood. With so many rips already in the shirt, Terra easily rips it open so they can see the source of all the blood. The boy's chest is covered in claw marks criss crossing over one another. Aqua is already pulling out the first aid kit while Terra feels for a pulse on the boy's neck. Its weak but its there.

"Aqua feel how cold he is," Terra says in a worried voice.

Aqua carcasses the boy's pale face, he can't be more than 14. Alarmed she says, "He must have been here for hours!"

Terra takes the first aid kit from Aqua and begins to dress the boy's wounds starting with the ones that are still bleeding. Aqua holds her hands over the blond boy and whispers, "Curaga."

The third time she does this the boy's eyelids flicker. He groans and opens his eyes blearily. His eyes are the brightest blue Aqua has ever seen. She leans down relieved and he looks back at her confused. Then he looks over at Terra who is still bandaging the now half healed cuts. "Hey! Get away! I don't have anything worth stealing," he says weakly pushing Terra's hands away. Terra grabs his wrists restraining the confused boy. The boy struggles slightly moaning angrily, "Let go of me you bastard. So help me. I'll take your fucking head off."

"Woah, calm down kid. We're trying to help you. You're going to bleed to death if you don't let me bandage these cuts," Terra says.

"What are you talking about?" The boy asks half sitting up and looks down at his chest. "What the- argh!" He cries out in pain, closing his eyes as he falls back to the ground. Aqua strokes his cheek soothingly while casting another curing spell. He relaxes and opens his blue eyes once more. Witg his hand now released from Terra's grip, he wipes his eyes. "What did you do?" He asks Aqua suspiciously.

"A curing spell," she replies.

"A spell? Like magic?" He asks in wonder.

"Yep just like magic," she says trying to sound nonchalant while sneaking a peek at how Terra was doing. There were so many cuts.

She looks back to see the boy grimacing in pain. "Curaga," she says again and he takes a deep breath.

"Aqua can you give me a hand here?" Terra asks.

"Of course," she says and takes the pads Terra is offering her. She places them over each wound and Terra tapes them down.

This done Terra turns to the boy and says, "We need to wrap your chest to keep the bandages from coming off. Can you sit up?"

The boy nods and uses his hands to prop himself up into a sitting position. He grimaces slightly but doesn't complain. Aqua once again mutters, "Curaga," but the effect is small. The boy looks at her confused. "I'm sorry," she says, "Magic does have its limits." He nods accepting that.

Terra helps him carefully take off his ruined jacket and shirt. "Hold your arms up kid," Terra instructs. He pulls a rolled up wrap out of the first aid kit and he and Aqua work to wrap the strip around the boy to keep his taped on bandages from falling off. Aqua and Terra sit with the boy between them passing the roll of wrapping back and forth around the boy. He says nothing.

Trying to take his mind off the pain he must be in Aqua asks him, "What's your name?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously again and he says, "What's your's?"

"I'm Aqua," she says, "and this is Terra."

"'Sup," Terra says focused on what he's doing.

Aqua looks at the boy's face again waiting. After a moment he says, "Tay, you can call me Tay."

Aqua smiles at him and says, "Well I'm glad we found you Tay. Can you tell us what happened?"

He thinks for a moment, "I was walking to Sheplin to find some work when the monsters came. I wasn't on my guard and they were able to knock me down. I was able to fend them off but," he gestures down at his chest, "obviously they were able to do a number on me before I killed them."

They are almost done with the wrap and to keep Tay talking Aqua asks, "What kind of work were you looking for?"

"Hold on. You asked me a question I get to ask you one," he says.

"Alright that's fair enough," Aqua says. "What would you like to know?"

"Why are you helping me?"

Aqua and Terra look at each other confused. "What do you mean why?" Terra asks. "We were walking along and we found you lying here bleeding to death. Isn't that reason enough to help?"

Tay shakes his head. "No. Everyone always has an agenda and there's no such thing as helping for the sake of helping. What do you want? Money? Protection? What?"

"We don't want your money and as for protection I think we're good," Aqua says. "Its our job to help people. We aren't looking for a reward."

They finish bandaging him and Terra searches through his backpack. "Its probably too big but here," He says tossing Tay a shirt. Tay holds it in his hand looking from it to Terra who sighs, "Free of charge. Just put it on."

Tay obeys and slips it over his head. As he pulls his arms through the sleeves, heartless appear all around them. Terra and Aqua jump to their feet and summon their keyblades. Terra hears Tay gasp in shock and shouts over his shoulder, "Just stay there kid."

Terra charges the nearest soldier and kills it with one swing following up with a cut through a darkball and lands his combo on another . He spins around as the two darkballs vanish to see that Aqua has dispatched the other heartless except for a large body that is lumbering towards him its protected chest facing him. Terra shouts, "Firaga," and the heartless stumbles but keeps coming. He readies himself lowering into a crouch, but he never gets the chance to swing. The large body disappears and standing in its place is Tay and in his hand a keyblade which he had obviously just swung killing the heartless.

* * *

**OK so I'm still kinda of new to this fanfiction scene so this question might sound kind of dumb but what should this story be rated? Right now its T which I think is fine but there is going to be swearing and the fight scenes are going to be much more graphic then the ones in this chapter. "Adult themes" or whatever aren't going to be any worse then the description of Carinol with the prostitutes and drugs. If someone could help me out and let me know if T is the right rating or not I would appreciate it.**

**Rhyme13kh14Xion13: thanks for being my first review! Glad you liked the first chapter.**

**Any questions? Any comments? Write a review**!


	3. The Light

Chapter 3 The Light

Tay grabs his stomach letting the keyblade disappear as he starts to fall. Terra runs forward and catches him lowering him slowly to the ground. "That was stupid kid. We could have handled the heartless," he says.

"Wanted to help," Tay groans trying to stand once more, but Terra puts his hands on Tay's shoulders keeping him down.

Aqua crouches down next to him with her keyblade still in her hand. "Tay, that weapon you used, do you know what it is?"

He nods. "Its a keyblade. You guys have them too. I didn't know there were others like me."

Aqua laughs slightly. "We didn't know there were others like us either. Master Eraqus told us that keyblade wielders were nearly extinct."

"Whose Master Eraqus?" Tay asks curiously.

"He's our teacher," Terra says. "We go to his school, Master Eraqus' Keyblade Academy, or MEKA."

"What do you do there?"

"We train to become Keyblade Masters," Aqua says. Then seeing the question on Tay's face she says, "If we can pass the Mark of Mastery exam we will become masters. We'll be in charge of watching over the worlds and training future masters. Well, more the first one because there aren't many keyblade apprentices left to instruct."

Tay leans back on his elbows soaking this in. He asks, "So...how many are you talking about when you say there aren't many left?"

Aqua exchanges a look with Terra and then replies, "Until we met you, as far as we knew Terra and I were the only keyblade apprentices left."

"Seriously?"

"Well that's what we thought, but here you are so maybe we were wrong to assume that there were no more keyblade wielders," Terra says.

"Tay, will you tell me what you do for work now?" Aqua asks him. Terra looks at her confused by this sudden change in topic. She shoots him a look that says she has an idea.

"Um sure. People hire me to take out the monsters when they become a problem. Did you call them the heartless?" He asks Terra who nods. "Its good work."

Aqua looks at Terra. "The light that keeps the world from falling into darkness," she says and he nods having come to the same conclusion.

"Uh...what?" Tay asks not sure what they are talking about.

"We came to this world to find a light that was fading out," Aqua explains. "We found you, a keyblade wielder, near death."

"Um OK." Tay says a little nonplussed.

"Would you like to come with us?" Terra asks him. "It looks like you've figured how to use the keyblade pretty well on your own, but Master Eraqus can teach you even more."

"To a different world?" Tay asks nervously.

"Yeah our home is a world called The Land of Departure," Aqua tells him.

"I guess...yeah I would. It sounds like a better place then this crap pile," Tay says with a small smile. "Let's go."

"Hold on a second kid, isn't there anyone you want to say good bye to? Your parents? Your friends?" Terra asks him.

Tay shakes his head, "I never knew my parents. I lived on the streets with a bunch of kids for awhile but as soon as I began to use the keyblade they were too afraid of me stay. I guess I had one friend. He told me a little about the keyblade and the worlds. But he died two years ago." He looks down reminiscing. "Tay was older and smarter than me. He liked to read and knew all kinds of stuff-"

"Wait, his name was Tay?" Terra asks confused.

The boy looks up sheepishly knowing he was caught. "Yeah, sorry I lied to you before," he says. "You guys were weird. I wasn't sure if I should trust you. My name isn't Tay its Ventus."

"Well Ventus, I'm glad you trust us now," Aqua says smiling kindly so Ventus knows she isn't mad about him lying to her.

"If you're sure you are OK with leaving we should head back to the castle and report to Master Eraqus," Terra says.

"You live in a castle? That's fucking awesome!" Ventus says with a grin.

Terra stands laughing at the boy's excitement. "Just try to keep that colorful vocabulary of yours in check around Master Eraqus. He isn't big on swears," he says, then, "C'mon." Terra reaches down, hooking his arm under Ventus' shoulder. He helps Ventus to his feet trying to be gentle.

Once on his feet, Ventus pushes Terra's hand away saying, "I'm fine." Terra accepts this without argument and summons his keyblade again. Ventus watches in awe as the two older keyblade bearers toss their weapons high in the air only to have them return as strangely shaped contraptions that float half a foot off the ground.

Terra walks to his and rummages through the hidden compartment under the seat. He finds what he is looking for and pulls out a helmet with a dent in the back. He hands it to Ventus who takes it and, while putting it on, asks, "Can my keyblade turn into one of those things?"

Aqua nods saying, "It can but I don't think its wise for you to be riding alone in your condition. You can just ride on the back of Terra's." Then she and Terra both smack the half sleeve of armor they each were wearing on their shoulder and, in a flash of blinding light that made Ventus' eyes water, their armor appears.

"That's so fu-" Ventus begins to say but Aqua's head snaps around and even though he can't see her eyes Ventus is sure she is staring at him disapprovingly. "I mean...that's so cool."

Terra moves next to his side and helps him walk over to the glider. His armor rustles with every move. Terra sits astride the glider first and motions for Ventus to sit behind him. Gingerly, Ventus does so gritting his teeth against the pain of moving. Terra looks over his shoulder, "You all set back there?" Ventus nods he is. "Alright then hold on tight." Ventus hesitates, there is nothing to hold on to except Terra so he awkwardly wraps his arms around Terra's torso feeling the armor poke him uncomfortably.

Terra leans forward and Ventus does the same looking down as the ground rapidly gets farther and farther away. He holds on to Terra tighter no longer caring about the hard armor poking him and gasps when they get so high that they leave the world and speed away into space.

...

Ventus climbs off the glider his eyes wide open in wonder as he stares up at the castle looming up in front of him. It is like nothing he had ever seen or heard of before. When his companions had said they were going to a castle he had assumed it was going to be like the ones back home with the dark crumbling stone and an oppressive aura. But this castle is light filled and comforting. Its impressive and although it makes him feel small it doesn't scare him the way the dark fortresses back home did.

Terra and Aqua unsummon their armor and following their lead Ventus takes off his borrowed helmet. He turns handing the helmet back to Terra who places it back into the hidden compartment on his glider. Ventus now sees the beautiful gardens lit by lanterns and gazes in awe. It feels like a dream. His home world had never given him the wildest idea that there could be such beautiful places.

"Master Eraqus!" Terra and Aqua both shout in unison causing Ventus to turn around to face the doors of the castle once more. Coming down the steps is an older man whose scarred faced is hard to read, but Ventus could tell he is very wise. His companions hurry forward leaving him standing alone beside the two gliders. He watches them talk eagerly to the man who is the Master Eraqus they had been telling him about. Ventus can't make out what is being said, but the master keeps glancing at him. Each time those eyes look at him his stomach twists and he looks away feeling like that man could see right through him and into his heart. To avoid meeting Master Eraqus' eyes he continues to look around his new home. Even though it is the middle of the night, he can tell that light fills this world.

He turns back as the other three walk over. Terra and Aqua hang back watching carefully as Master Eraqus steps in front of Ventus and looks down on him his facial expression just betraying a hint of curiosity. "Hello Ventus, I am Master Eraqus. According to my students, you posses the power of the keyblade."

Ventus nods warily, "And they told me you could teach me how to use it better."

"That I can," Master Eraqus says with a slight smile. "But first I would like to know how much you have discovered on your own."

Ventus holds his hand out and summons his keyblade. It appears in a small flash of light and looking at it he says, "I don't know much about the keyblade. Tay told me most of the things I know about it but I think he knew even more." He pauses collecting his thoughts. "I know that only I can use it. When I tried to give it to Tay it only reappeared in my hand. I know that it's powerful enough to defeat the heartless and I know that even though that is true they are still drawn to it and to me like some sort of suicide magnet." With that he makes his keyblade disappear and let's his hand fall continuing in a softer angrier voice. "Those bastards are always after me. I keep everyone at a distance afraid that if they get too close to me they will get killed...like Tay." He stops talking too busy trying to calm himself as painful memories of his best friend flashed through his mind.

Master Eraqus stands silently for a moment letting Ventus regain his composure before saying, "As Terra and Aqua have already told you, keyblade bearers are much more rare than they used to be. Since the great keyblade war we have been in decline partly from the fact that others have the misconceived notion that our attempts to assist the worlds are really ploys to take them over. Our power scares most people away and the heartless that are drawn to us make them fear us even more. But still we strive to protect the light and banish the darkness from the worlds."

"Why? If the idiots don't want us to help then to hell with them," Ventus says.

Master Eraqus' eyes widen slightly in surprise then narrow, "We help because it is our duty to help. We have been chosen to wield the power of the keyblade because of the strength of our hearts-"

"What do you mean chosen? Who got to choose?" Ventus interrupts.

"Ah I see that there are indeed holes in your knowledge. The keyblade chose you. Do you remember being given the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony as a child?" Master Eraqus asks Ventus.

"A ceremony? No?" Ventus replies confused.

"Two things must happen for a person to gain the power to wield a keyblade. First a keyblade master must perform a rite called the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony. Then, the recipient will be able to use the keyblade if their heart is strong enough," Master Eraqus explains.

"Someone gave this to me?" Ventus whispers summoning his keyblade again holding it down by his side. He looks down at it, the resentment that had been building for years turning to blind anger. He turns away from the others and throws his keyblade as hard as he can watching it fall clattering on the steps to the gardens. He doubles over gasping in pain holding his stomach tight as the cuts from the heartless sear once more.

Master Eraqus grabs Ventus by his shoulders and Ventus looks up to see the concern on the man's face. As the pain ebbs, he straightens up to see Terra and Aqua around him with similar looks of concern. "I'm fine," he says hollowly looking away from the others staring at his keyblade lying at the bottom of the steps.

"Master I think that's enough for now," Aqua says.

Master Eraqus doesn't reply to her instead he says, "Ventus look at me."

Slowly Ventus turns to face him once more letting his anger show on his face. "You cannot get rid of the keyblade so easily. It is a part of you and that is not a curse."

Ventus shakes his head and says, "It is a curse. It hurts people...I hurt people." A tear falls down his cheek. He wipes it away quickly. How long had it been since he had let himself cry? Even after he had buried Tay he had held back his tears but now he couldn't. The tears roll freely down his face and he shakes with silent sobs. He closes his eyes and feels himself being pulled close into a gentle hug. He stands like a statue in Aqua's embrace trying to stop the tears but his memories will not let him. In his mind he goes back to the first time he had summoned the keyblade and the heartless appeared, to walking through unknown towns with his hood up knowing the heartless were coming, to the huge black hand grabbing Tay and lifting him away, and, most recently, to the heartless piled on top of him trying to rip him to shreds. A sob escapes out of his throat.

"Shh, shh," Aqua says soothingly rubbing the back of his head. It has been so long since someone cared enough to comfort him. Stiffly and unsure he raises his arms wrapping them awkwardly around Aqua who pulls his closer. She continues to talk softly to him, "It's alright Ventus. It's alright."

Eventually Ventus' tears dry up and sniffling he pulls away rubbing his eyes. Aqua lets him go and straightens up.

"Ventus-" Master Eraqus begins.

"I don't want to talk anymore," Ventus interrupts keeping his eyes downcast focusing on the stones under his feet.

"Of course," Master Eraqus says with a sigh, "I'm sure you are exhausted. We will talk more in the morning."

Terra without a word slips his arm under Ventus' and helps him towards the castle doors. Ventus looks back just in time to see his keyblade disappear in a flash and knows it will really never leave him. "Try and smile kid," Terra says and Ventus looks up at him, "This is your new home and a new chapter in your life. You are going to happy here believe me."

* * *

**VENTUS! Yes the blond boy who said he was my OC Tay is actually Ven who is probably my favorite character in the KH series. If you are kinda of confused about what Ven did/said you're probably not alone. I didn't explain it all on purpose but his back story will be filled in over the next few chapters.**

**Rhyme13kh14Xion13: I think this chapter answers your questions about Ven :)**

** Lantean12: Thanks for helping me out!**

**Any questions? Any comments? Write a review**!


	4. The Pain of the Past

Chapter 4 The Pain of the Past

Ventus wakes up slowly. He is so comfortable and warm, two things he isn't used to waking up feeling and he wants to savor it. Eventually he does open his eyes to see that the sun out his window is already high in the sky. With a groan he sits up noticing that his chest hurts less than before. Now committed to getting up, he reluctantly throws off the covers and swings his feet off the bed. He stands slowly holding his stomach lightly. He carefully takes a couple steps and finds that the pain is now bearable. Glancing around the bedroom, Ventus is able to see more in the daylight than he had in the middle of the night. It is a huge room with large furnishes that are simple yet grand. There are two doors leading out of the room. One he knows opens into a hallway which Terra and Aqua's rooms also connect to. He makes his way slowly to the other door curious to find out what is behind it. He gets distracted though by a pile resting on the low couch that had not been there when he had fallen asleep. On top is a note:

_Didn't want to wake you. We found some of Terra's old clothes that should fit you better. There is also a fresh bandage for your chest and a salve that will help heal your cuts. We will keep some breakfast warm for you._

_Aqua_

Setting the note back down, Ventus scoops up the pile and continues to the second door. He opens it to find a spacious bathroom. He quickly dumps the fresh clothes and bandage on the floor and strips. He turns the water on in the shower and then faces the mirror. With a sigh, Ventus begins to undo the wrap over his chest and pulls off the taped on bandages. With them gone, he can see each cut standing out as an angry red color against his pale skin in the mirror. There is dried blood on the bandages and a little on his chest as well. He turns away from the image of his maimed body and gets in the shower.

He stands in the hot water going over in his mind the events of the day before. How had his life changed so fast? One moment he was just another homeless kid trying to survive the streets, and now he is living in luxury as one of the few keyblade wielders in the worlds. If it wasn't for the still present pain in his chest he might have thought that this is all a dream that he would wake up from to find himself lying in the gutter of some city back on Carinol.

When the hot water had washed away all the blood and dirt, he gets out of the shower and carefully drys himself with a towel. Next he takes the salve and smears it on all his cuts. It feels cool on the inflamed skin and he covers his chest with the clean wrap. The clothes they had put out for him fit perfectly and now ready he leaves his room heading downstairs to face whatever would come next.

...

Aqua sits next to Terra at the table in the kitchen. Master Eraqus is at the head lost in thought. They all look up hearing soft slow footsteps and see Ventus come in holding his stomach. Aqua jumps to her feet hurrying to him. She gently guides him to the seat next to Master Eraqus and across from her and Terra. "Are you hungry?" She asks him ruffling his hair that isn't as spiky as usual as it is still wet from his shower. He replies with a nod and she brings him a plate of pancakes which he dives right into acting like he hasn't eaten in days. Aqua wonders sadly to herself if that is true since the boy is so skinny. She sits down in her seat once more and nobody says a word.

As Ventus moves on to his third pancake, he begins to slow down. Master Eraqus breaks the silence saying, "Ventus, last night you said that you hurt people because you wield the keyblade. Can you explain to us what you meant by that?"

Ventus takes another bite and chews slowly keeping his eyes down. Swallowing he answers, "Wherever I go the heartless monsters show up and attack people. Every time I go near others I put them in danger."

"Ventus I need you to listen to me very carefully," Master Eraqus says in a serious voice, "The heartless are not your fault. The heartless come from the darkness in people's hearts and they appear even when you are not nearby. As you had observed, you and your keyblade can draw the heartless out of the shadows. They are attracted to the strong hearts of keyblade wielders. Do not feel guilty for the appearance of the heartless. It is the darkness of hearts that is the cause of heartless not you."

Ventus nods, "I believe you. Its not my fault that there are heartless, but I still hurt people." He puts his fork down and sighs holding his head with his hand. "Back home money is the difference between life and death on the streets. And there is no such thing as working honestly. Tay and I had this scheme set up. We would come to a town and split up. I would walk through the town with my hood up and attract all the heartless. The heartless would then scare the townspeople and when Tay made his entrance as a monster slayer they would flock to him and pay whatever he asked. Once he had been paid we would meet up and destroy all the heartless I had attracted. I felt terrible each time knowing that I had brought fear to those innocent people. But it was either make money or starve so town after town we did this.

We walked around the entire world afraid to stay in one place too long because someone might catch on to what we were doing. Then Tay died. I wanted to stop but what would I have done instead? That's when people started getting hurt. The first time was in a town called Halix. After I walked through the town I circled back around like always, but by the time I got back to the town the heartless had nearly overrun the place. Half the towns people lay dead in the streets no match for the heartless. Massacred because of what I had done." Ventus stops, taking deep breaths. Aqua looks at Terra and Master Eraqus who are equally horrified by the life Ventus had been forced to live. Ventus angrily shoves his plate away too disgusted to eat.

"I swore that day that never again would I put people in danger on purpose," Ventus forces himself to continue, but refuses to meet the others' gazes. He just stares down at his fists on the table clenching and unclenching. "It didn't last long though. I was cold and hungry. I would have frozen to death or starved if I had kept that promise to myself. I needed money for food and warm clothes and winter was just starting to settle in. I started again. I told myself I had to be more careful and I was. I abandoned the circling back around after my first walk through town. Instead I would hang around on the outskirts until the heartless showed up. It didn't take long for suspicions to grow. I got run out of town in Dresan then again in Spark and then again in Velic. I tried other ways of making money, none of them good, but the heartless continued to appear around me so I couldn't stay in one place to long."

Ventus pauses and looks around the table. He can tell the others don't know what to say and are still trying to process what he had told them. He isn't sure he wants to hear what they will say. Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus are good people. Would they be able to understand the things he did? Would they hate him? Would they send him back to that hell hole? He doesn't think he can handle the answers to those questions so he continues to talk. Ventus has never told anyone, except Tay, details about his life. But with these three strangers he had met by an extraordinary chance he feels he can get it all off his chest. If there are consequences for telling them, he will take them. He is tired of ignoring the horrible mistakes he has made.

"Without really meaning to, I went back to my old ways. I was careful and no one was getting hurt. Then I came to Whin, the capitol of Carinol. I should have given it a wide berth, but there was a festival going on for the Prince's birthday. I wanted to see happy people for once and forget about the darkness of my life for a few minutes. But the heartless couldn't even give me that.

They appeared in full force, and began to attack the people enjoying the festival. Men, women, children all fell to the monsters. I fought off the heartless but when I had destroyed the last one 6 men, 9 women, and 4 children lay dead and at least twenty more had been wounded. I was arrested..."

Ventus gets lost in his memories of the festival lights twinkling above him as he was dragged to the castle with his hands tied behind his back. He could still feel the damp air of the underground cell on his skin and hear the scratching of rats hiding in the shadows. And the prince. His handsome and cruel face looming over him with a look of disdain.

"Ventus?" Master Eraqus interrupts his reminiscing. "Are you okay?"

Ventus lets out a long sigh dispelling the dark memories. "Yeah," he whispers then going back to his normal voice, "Sorry. Remembering that dungeon is...hard."

Ventus pulls his pancakes back to him and works on finishing the last one. He isn't hungry anymore, but he wants to be done with giving away his dark secrets for today. Eating keeps him from having to talk.

"Why did they arrest you?" Terra asks confused. "Didn't you kill all the heartless?"

Ventus nods sullenly. He puts down his fork and tries to explain in as few words as possible. "I hadn't realized rumors of the boy with the funny sword who seemed to summon the monsters had reached Whin. As soon as I defeated the last heartless the guards grabbed me and took me away. I was thrown in a dungeon to await my execution for causing the deaths of the people at the festival."

"There was no trial!" Aqua says surprised.

"Why would I get a trial?" Ventus asks her a little confused.

"Everyone gets a trial," Aqua replies, "That way you can prove you were innocent."

"But I wasn't innocent," Ventus says sadly. "The heartless had killed those people because I was there."

"Did they have proof?"

"No," Ventus replies. "But they didn't need proof. Not with Prince Keric-"

Ventus' breath catches in his throat when he says the prince's name. He swallows hard trying to quell his confusing feelings.

"Ventus?"

Aqua's eyes are filled with worry and he looks down surprised to see that she had reached over the table, placing her hand over his. At her touch he slowly unclenchs his fist to reveal that his hand is trembling. Ventus quickly pulls his hand back and hides it on his lap under the table. "Never mind," he says quickly. "Its not important."

"You can tell us any-" Aqua begins but Ventus interrupts her.

"Its not important alright," he says angrily. "Just drop it."

Aqua looks a little hurt and Ventus feels sorry at once but he isn't about to apologize. They don't know how much it hurts him to think about Prince Keric. They won't understand. They can't. He stands up abrubtly and would have stormed out of the kitchen if his stomach hadn't chosen that moment to flare in pain. He puts one hand on his stomach and the other on the table to keep himself upright until the pain passed.

"Sit back down Ventus," Master Eraqus says in a commanding voice. Ventus raises his eyes to the older man who addes in a softer voice, "Don't hurt yourself. Please sit back down. You don't have to talk about anything you are uncomfortable with."

Slowly Ventus lowers himself back into his chair. He holds his head in his hands tracing the grain of the wooden table with his eyes. "There isn't much else to say," Ventus says in a flat voice. "I was able to escape and I've been on the run for about five months I think. I've had to stay away from big cities and towns where the police might look for me. I kept up my work in tiny towns remote enough to be relatively safe, but in towns like that they never trusted strangers. I was barely surviving on the little money I was making so I decided I had to risk returning to bigger towns. That's where I was going when the heartless attack and you guys saved me. I was headed to Sheplin."

Ventus raises his head and looks at Master Eraqus once more. "I get it if you don't want to teach me. I've done some unforgivable stuff. I'm not the pure light you guys are."

Terra opens his mouth like he wants to reassure Ventus. But he holds back knowing it is his master's decision.

Master Eraqus' face doesn't give away his feelings so Ventus has to wait until he speaks to learn his fate. "No one is pure light Ventus. Everyone has a little darkness in their heart. Your past life is just that; the past. What you have told us will by no means make me send you away. I will teach you as one of my keyblade apprentices as whoever gave you the keyblade should have done for you years ago. But today you will rest. When you are fully healed you may join Terra and Aqua in training."

Ventus nods in agreement and on the inside he sighs. Even if he doesn't believe he is worthy to be here, this world already felt like home.

* * *

**Poor Ven! His life has been so hard and that's not even the half of it. But that's all you get to know for now. You'll just have to wait along with Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus to find out the secrets he is still hiding. This story is a little dark and depressing right now but it won't be forever (hopefully).**

**Yay for April Vacation! Nothing to do but softball, college visits, and writing. Oh and homework because my evil teachers have no respect for my relaxation time. :( But whatever. I still have lots of time to write so expect a couple chapters this week.**

**As always I would love to get some feedback so please review**!


	5. The Evil Gold Rings

Chapter 5 _The Evil Gold Rings_

"You want me to hit that?" Ventus asks with disdain gesturing at the golden ring hanging in front of him. It has been nearly a week since the night he had arrived at his new home and for the first time he is going to be allowed to join in the training. Ventus had been excited at first, but he is quickly becoming disappointed by Master Eraqus' first lesson. Maybe Tay had read him too many stories, but isn't the wise master living in the secluded mountains supposed to teach him the secret to jedi mind control or how to catch a grain of rice with chopsticks? Instead Master Eraqus had brought him to these rings.

Master Eraqus sighs, "Yes Ventus. I want you to use that ring as your target."

Ventus eyes the hanging ring. He is a little offended that this is all Master Eraqus thinks he can handle. Sure he isn't ready to spar with Terra and Aqua, he had seen them fight each other for practice and knew he wouldn't last a minute against either of them, but he isn't a child. Maybe if he breaks the stupid thing Master Eraqus will let him do something more advanced.

With that thought, Ventus approaches the ring which is turning slightly back and forth on it's chain in the light breeze. He summons his keyblade and drops into a battle stance. His chest and stomach twinge a little, but he had waited fairly patiently all week to begin his training and he isn't going to let a little residual pain stop him now.

Ventus swings his keyblade around backhand like always and feels his arm jar slightly from the impact with the gold ring. It is heavier then he anticipated, but he quickly adjusts and slashs at it again. He continues to hit it over and over but is far from breaking the sturdy ring. Feeling foolish for being told to fight the ring, Ventus starts to get angry at the pointlessness of this drill. How was this teaching him anything about fighting heartless? Well, what better way to get out his anger then on the stupid ring?

"Take this!" He shouts and executes his combo move flawlessly. With a proud smirk, he watches as the gold ring swings on it's chain farther then it had on any other hit. He tilts his head surprised when the ring doesn't swing back down towards him. Instead it curves away from him in an arc around the pole it is attached to. "Woah!" Ventus ducks just in time to avoid losing his head to the ring as it came flying around the pole to hit him from behind. "What the fuck was that?" Ventus exclaims as he jumps away from the contraption. From a safe distance he gives it the evil eye.

"Ventus! I do not tolerate that dark language," Master Eraqus walks to him with his arms crossed in disapproval. "It is ugly and vulgar and belittles those who use it."

"But you didn't tell me that thing was going to swing around like that! It nearly took my fucking head off!" Ventus shouts waving his arms at the evil ring now hanging still except for the slight movement of the breeze.

Master Eraqus' eyes narrow dangerously and he says nothing. Ventus sighs in exasperation. "Fine. I'm sorry OK?" He crosses his arms and glares back at Master Eraqus.

Master Eraqus takes a calming breath and closes his eyes raising his hand to his head. After a moment he removes his hand and says in an obviously controlled voice, "Learn from your mistakes. Always take in details around you. If you had taken time to examine the ring and the pole you would have seen the grove that let's it swing around the pole. Now do it again but this time be prepared."

"That's it? You're just gonna tell me to go hit the ring over and over? I thought you were going to teach me how to fight better." Ventus doesn't care if he is being disrespectful. Manners and tact were never his strong suit.

Master Eraqus' mouth is pressed in a straight line and his eyebrows are at a dangerous angle. If it had been Terra or Aqua he was staring at they would have immediately apologized, but Ventus just glares back at him. Taking a step forward Master Eraqus is towering right over Ventus. In a stiff angry movement, Master Eraqus points towards the ring. Ventus holds his glare for a moment longer before he turns and storms back over to the ring. He attacks it again. This time when it swings around the pole he is prepared, and he turns quickly to block it with his keyblade held horizontally across his chest.

Master Eraqus watches Ventus continue to fight the ring with his arms crossed over his chest. After a minute he sighs and runs a hand through his greying hair. He respects Ventus' strong spirit, but his anger is too strong. Ventus would have to learn to control his emotions if he wanted to become a keyblade master.

All the anger has to be coming from somewhere. Master Eraqus knows his new student is hiding what really pains him, but Master Eraqus is unwilling to push him. He has to be patient and let Ventus come around to him. The boy really is a good person. He has just had a hard life so far. He had a lot to learn, especially about respect, but Master Eraqus is up for the challenge and watches Ventus continue to fight, scrutinizing his every move.

...

"How's it going Master?" Terra askes as he comes across the small bridge over the stream. Master Eraqus turns his head away from watching Ventus to see his oldest pupil looking anxiously at the younger boy now trying to fight off the four rings all on one pole. Instead of answering Master Eraqus gives it a moment and from across the grass they can both hear, "Stupid...fucking...evil ring...I...hate...this..."  
Terra looks over at his master and can see the older man is close to snapping. Terra takes half a step back. He has only seen Master Eraqus lose it once when he and Aqua had run off to explore the world only to get lost and not make it back home until Master Eraqus had found them missing. Terra does not want to see that again. Aqua had been right that Ventus' surliness would make him and Eraqus butt heads.

"He'll cool off eventually Master," Terra says trying to calm the situation. "He just needs time to...adjust."

Master Eraqus nods stiffly. "I know Terra. These changes are a lot for him to take in all at once. But his anger...There is something he is not telling us."

Terra nods in agreement.

Master Eraqus tries to force himself to relax. "He's much more of a handful than you and Aqua," he says with a thin smile. "I think I've been a little spoiled that my students have been so easy to get through to up until now. Ventus will be more difficult."

Terra grins back. "You can't fool 're glad we found him, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm glad you found him. He was alone without any instruction-"

"No," Terra says, "You're glad that when me and Aqua become masters you will still have a student."

Master Eraqus opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Terra is right. Before Ventus had come, he had been dreading Aqua and Terra leaving his school. He is of course happy that he has taught them so well, but lately he had been wishing to go back to when they were children eager to learn and dependent on him.

Terra makes him jump slightly when he put his arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry, you won't be getting rid of us so easily."

Master Eraqus pretends to sigh in disappointment at that news and Terra laughs. Inside, Master Eraqus sighs in relief.

"Why does he hold his keyblade like that?" Terra wonders aloud moving away from Eraqus. He summons his keyblade and tries to imitate the strange form Ventus had. To him it is hard to fight with his keyblade held backwards.

"I assume that it is something unique to the world he is from," Master Eraqus replies. "Why don't we go discuss it with him? I have a feeling he is close to giving up on the rings."

Master Eraqus pulls a small cup out of his pocket and crouches next to the stream for a moment, straightening back up with the cup now filled to the brim. He walks over to Ventus and the pole with four rings with Terra half a step behind him. "Stopga," Master Eraqus calls raising his hand.

The rings that had been flying around Ventus freeze in the air and he stumbles slightly in surprise. He regains his balance and turns quickly to look at Master Eraqus his anger still showing on his face. "Rest," Master Eraqus tells him hanging Ventus the cup of water. Ventus let's his shoulders sag and his keyblade disappear. He takes the cup of water and gulps it down.

Master Eraqus and Terra wait patiently for him to finish and regain his breath. Ventus drains the cup and hands it back to Master Eraqus. Ventus puts his hands behind his head and leans back breathing hard. When his breaths become less ragged, Master Eraqus says, "From watching you I have learned a lot about your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to fight. But we will work more on that tomorrow. Today I would like to talk to you about the strange way you hold your keyblade."

Ventus frowns slightly and summons his keyblade once more. "I've always held it like this. Its how Tay taught me." He looks up at Master Eraqus and Terra. "How do you hold yours?"

Both Master Eraqus and Terra summon their keyblades and hold them out to show Ventus their grip. Ventus holds his keyblade up as well. "So...mine is backwards?"

"Yes, you hold your keyblade backhand," Master Eraqus says. "From what I saw today, I believe that it has not hindered your ability to fight. It should not be a problem going forward."

"Good," Ventus says and his keyblade disappears. "Now is it dinner time yet 'cause I'm starving."

Terra looks to Master Eraqus quickly with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Yes," Master Eraqus tells them and they both smile. "Lessons are done for today. Find Aqua and the three of you can get dinner ready I have some buisness to attend to. I'll be back late tonight."

Terra nods and he and Ventus turn to head back to the castle. "And Ventus," Master Eraqus calls after them, "Terra and Aqua are in charge so listen to them." Ventus makes a face at Master Eraqus and doesn't see Terra until its to late. The older boy wraps his arm around Ventus' neck and pulls him close. He digs his knuckles into the top of Ventus' head causing him to squawk indignantly.

"Don't worry Master," Terra says as Ventus struggles to escape his grip. "We'll keep him in line." Terra loosens his grip slightly and Ventus is able to pull himself free. Master Eraqus walks away with his eyes raised to the sky as Ventus tries to tackle Terra to the ground only to find himself the one pinned down. Master Eraqus summons his own silver armor and turns his keyblade into a glider similar to Terra's. As he rises away from the world he looks back to see Ventus tapping out and Terra helping him to his feet. The two then head back towards the castle in a race. Master Eraqus smiles under his mask as he speeds away into space to see what Merlin had been so insistant about.

...

Aqua had already stared to prepare dinner. Tonight was going to be personal pan pizzas so she had laid out all the toppings. When the boys had entered the kitchen she had chased them out with a wooden spoon telling them to come back when they had cleaned themselves up. In the meantime she happily prepared her own meal and was enjoying her famous bacon, pineapple, mushroom pizza when Terra and Ventus returned with all traces of dirt and grass stains from their tussle outside washed away.

"Awww! You already made yours?" Terra complaines when he sees Aqua eating while he still had to make his own pizza. Aqua just raises her eyebrows at him and dramatically takes a bite out of her pizza.

Terra frowns and she giggles slightly. "C'mon Ven," Terra says turning away from her. "Let's get started."

Terra walks over to the counter and grabs a chunk of pizza dough. He turns to hand it to Ventus only to find him still standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Ven?" Terra asks confused by the look on Ventus' face. Then realization hits him. "Oh, sorry do you not like being called Ven?"

Ventus looks down for a moment, but then lifts his head with a grin. "Nah Ven's fine. Actually that's what Tay used to call me. Since you guys are my new bestfriends it seems right for you to call me Ven too."

Ven walks over next Terra who hands him the pizza dough and gives him a shove. Ven shoves him back with a grin. Terra's hand falls in the bowl of flour and he gets a mischievous glint in his eyes. He throws some flour at an unsuspecting Ven getting it all over the right side of his face and making his blond hair even paler.

Ven is shocked for a moment, but recovers quickly and throws a handful of peppers at Terra. Terra responds with shredded cheese and Ven counters with bacon chunks. Both lock eyes for a moment and then lunge at the same time for the spoon in the tomato sauce.

"BOYS!"

Aqua's annoyed shout stops both of them as they struggle for the spoon. They turn to see her shaking her head at them. Both put on sorry expressions and hang their heads over their respective balls of pizza dough. They work silently on stretching their dough into a pizza shape for a moment. Then they catch each other's eyes and can't help but laugh. Aqua walks behind them and smacks the back of each of their heads on her way to get more water. "You two idiots are cleaning up this kitchen when we are done eating and it better be spotless when you are done!" Aqua warns before returning to her pizza.

Terra is working intently on creating his pizza when Aqua says, "Wow Ven, where'd you learn to do that."

Terra looks up to see Ven toss his dough into the air and catch it again on his fists to continue stretching it. "One of the odd jobs I took was at a pizza joint," Ven says tossing the dough into the air again. "I used to get to eat the ones that got burnt for free." He tosses the dough again with a little too much enthusiasm. He winces as it hits the ceiling and sticks. He sighs. "And that's why I got fired." Terra and Aqua burst out laughing and he joins in as the dough falls back into his hands.

The rest of the night is filled with laughter. To Ven, Aqua and Terra may have been strangers only a couple days before, but tonight they act they have been best friends his whole life. They stay up late just talking about whatever comes to mind and Ven hears stories of the best and worst moments Terra and Aqua had had living at MEKA.

When Master Eraqus comes home expecting to find a quiet dark castle, he instead walks into the living room to see his apprentices rolling on the ground laughing. Seeing him, they smoother their laughter as quickly as possible. He is left to guess what story Terra and Aqua had been telling Ven about him as he just rolls his eyes at the three of them and disappears into his study.

* * *

**Ugh finally I'm so tired of writing out Ventus! Now I can call him Ven :)**

**Lol can you just imagine Master Eraqus with like steam coming out his ears as he deals with pissy Ven? Good thing Terra was able to calm Eraqus down or Ven would have found out the hard way that Eraqus may be old but he can still wipe the floor with any opponent. And yeah before Ven came Eraqus was suffering from empty nest syndrome with Terra and Aqua being all grown up. Poor guy!**

**Mexi: All I'm going to say about Ven and Prince Keric is wait and see. He's one of the dark secrets from Ven's past that Ven isn't quite ready to talk about.**

**Next chapter we're going to another world! Yay! Road trip! Or rather flying keyblade gliders in space trip! ... Yay!**

**Do you want to know where they are going? Well then you will just have to follow this story to find out!**

**Review! Review! Review**!


	6. Traverse Town

Chapter 6 _Traverse Town_

"C'mon, how old do you guys think I am?" Ven scoffs at his two friends at breakfast the next morning.

"Ven," Terra says with difficulty with half an omelette stuffed in his mouth. "Its true. Santa Claus exists." Aqua nods her head in agreement with a smile.

"Yeah right," Ven says sarcastically rolling his eyes. "C'mon guys I'm fourteen. I'm not falling for that crap."

"But Ven its true," Aqua says, "We've met him before. Santa Claus is very real, believe me."

Ven shakes his head stubbornly. "No, you guys are just trying to pull my leg. Well its not gonna work. Santa Claus isn't real!"

Terra and Aqua exchange a grin. "Would you like to put money on that?" Terra asks Ven shrewdly.

"A bet?"

"Sure," Terra says leaning forward, "50 munny says you'll regret saying that one day."

"You're on!"

They shake hands sealing the bet. Terra squeezes Ven's hand a little harder then he has to and Ven returns the gesture. The two stay locked together not wanting to be the first to give in and let go. Ven does his best not to show the pain Terra's crushing grip is giving him and keeps his face blank.

Aqua just sighs and continues to eat her breakfast trying to ignore the 'manly' contest going on in front of her. The two continue to try and crush each other's hand for half a minute before Master Eraqus makes his entrance by clearing his throat.

Ven and Terra both at once release their handshake and return to their breakfast. Master Eraqus makes himself a plate of eggs and bacon and sits down at the table where the new discussion of if Terra could fit an entire omelette in his mouth dies down. After carefully adding a little salt to his eggs, Master Eraqus begins to eat in small bites. The conversation turns to his departure last night.

"You two remember Merlin the powerful wizard right?" Eraqus asks his older students.

They both nod remembering the old man and the world of knights and chivalry that they had visited with Master Eraqus years ago. King Arthur's Kingdom was one of the coolest worlds for Terra because he still to this day idolized Arthur and his knights. Aqua on the other hand hated going to that world with its old fashioned rules about how women can't fight. She especially hated the skirt Master Eraqus had forced her to wear when they visited. Her heart sinks a little wondering if Master Eraqus is going to make them go back there.

Master Eraqus continues. "Well, as you might recall Merlin was a close advisor to King Arthur. However, Merlin has decided that he has learned all he can about magic in that world and is leaving to find a new world to continue his studies. He has been consulting with me on where he should go and I gave him the advice of going to the world of Traverse Town first. It is always a good place to start when you aren't sure what you are looking for.

In packing, he came across an odd book he is sure he does not own yet it was in his collection. He called me over last night to let me take a look at it. He let me bring it back here so I could examine it further, but my efforts have left me with no concrete conclusions.

Terra, Aqua, your mission today is to go to Traverse Town and return this book to Merlin," saying this, Master Eraqus pulls out from inside his robe a thick book with the title Winnie the Pooh and a picture of strange animals on the cover. He places it in front of Aqua who reaches out to undo the clasp that holds it closed put pauses to look for Master Eraqus' approval.

"Go ahead," Master Eraqus nods and she opens the book. "As you can see it is blank. There is nothing in there." Terra and Ven look over Aqua's shoulders at the blank pages as she flips through the empty book. Halfway through the book there are ripped edges where pages have been torn out. "My only inference," Master Eraqus says and the three of them look up, "is that whatever has been taken from the book took it's magic. For now it is nothing but an empty book, but if Merlin could find the other pages he may be able to restore what has been lost."

Master Eraqus stands and gestures for the others to do the same. Aqua gently closes the book and hurries after the others. They walk outside and stand at the bottom of the steps.

"I am not sure what time today Merlin will make it to Traverse Town. The two of you can explore the town before he gets there. It is a very interesting place. People from all different worlds come there in search of different things. Most people there will be accepting of keyblade wielders so you don't need to keep that hidden, but of course do not flaunt your abilities either. Be back by dinner time even if Merlin is not there yet. If he is late, you can always return tomorrow to return his book."

With a nod, both Aqua and Terra smack their armor sleeves and their armor appears in a flash of light. They both turn to summon their keyblade gliders when a voice stops them.

"Wait! I don't get to go?"

Ven pouts and crosses his arms. Master Eraqus smiles kindly at Ven and replies, "No Ventus, today we are training. There is much you need to learn before I can send you out of missions with Terra and Aqua."

Ven groans, "Not more training."

Master Eraqus does his best to hide his smile behind a serious face. "Yes Ventus, more training. But don't worry, there will be no gold rings today. Those were just so I could observe your fighting style. Today will be learning to hone your skills and practice awareness during battle."

Still upset at being left behind while his two friends get to go explore worlds, Ven grumbles, "Fine."

Terra walks over and ruffles his hair with his metal covered hand. "Yeah, me and Aqua don't want to be babysitting you the entire mission."

Ven pushes Terra away fixing his roughed up hair. "What's that supposed to mean?" He says glaring at Terra.

Terra replies, "It means hurry up and train so during battles we don't have to worry about protecting you."

Surprised, Ven uncrosses his arms and the glare leaves his face. He watches silently as Terra and Aqua summon their keyblades and fly off into space.

They worry about protecting him. They worry about him getting hurt. As Ven follows Master Eraqus back inside he can't help but smile.

...

Together, Terra and Aqua push the huge double doors open and walk into the first district of Traverse Town. They stand for a moment looking around at the new world until a sweet voice says them,

"Oh! Hello."

The young woman speaking had been kneeling next to one of the light posts in the middle of the square, but seeing the new arrivals she stands and brushes off her pink dress. She clasps her hands together and walks towards them with a friendly smile.

"Welcome to Traverse Town! Its been a long time since we have had new visitors. My name is Aerith."

"Its nice to meet you Aerith," Aqua says. "I'm Aqua and this is Terra."

"Its nice to meet both of you," Aerith replies. "What brings you to Traverse Town?"

Terra and Aqua exchange a look. "Well..." Terra says rubbing the back of his head. "We're looking for someone new to this town as well. His name is Merlin. Have you seen him?"

"I'm afraid I haven't," Aerith says. "We haven't had anyone new to town in months before you."

Terra turns to Aqua. "I guess he's not here yet."

"If I see him I'll happily let him know you are looking for him," Aerith adds helpfully.

"That would be great. Thank you," Aqua says to her. "If you see him let him know that Master Eraqus sent us with his book."

"I will. Well I have to get back to my flowers," Aerith says gesturing to the half planted flowers around the base of the light post. "If you are looking for somewhere to wait for your friend, the 7th Heaven is open over there." She points and Terra and Aqua look to the left seeing an empty looking bar. "Tell Tifa you're new around here and she'll fill you in."

"Thanks again," Aqua says with a wave to the girl in pink. She and Terra head over to the bar door and head in.

There are only two people inside. A brunette woman dressed in black is behind the counter, and on the other side is a girl who looked to be around Terra and Aqua's age with short black hair. Both turn and look with surprise at the newcomers.

"Oh!" The younger girl jumps down from her stool and hurries over looking curiously at them. "Haven't seen you guys around before. Are you new? I'm Yuffie and that's Tifa. Where are you from? Why are you-"

"Yuffie! Give them a little space why don't you," the woman named Tifa calls from the bar with a smile.

Yuffie blushes slightly and takes a step back so she is no longer right in Aqua and Terra's face. "Sorry. Its just not everyday we see new people."

"No reason to be sorry," Aqua says kindly. "I'm Aqua and this is Terra. We're just visiting for the day."

"Well come right over and take a seat," Tifa says. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"I'll have a lemonade," Aqua replies.

"Just water thanks," Terra says.

Tifa nods and smiles disappearing into the kitchen. Terra and Aqua sit down on stools at the bar with Yuffie who is still eyeing them curiously. Tifa returns shortly with two glasses in hand which she puts down in front of them. "Enjoy!"

With a nod of thanks, Terra and Aqua begin to sip their drinks. Yuffie unable to wait any longer asks desperately, "So why are you here?"

Terra explains, "Well we're looking for someone. His name is Merlin. He is supposed to be coming here sometime today. We have something to return to him."

"Well we will be sure to keep an eye out for him," Tifa says. "In the meantime you can hang around here if you-"

The doors to the bar slam open and an older man walks in with his hands on his hips, goggles on his head, and a toothpick in his mouth. "Yuffie! Ya damn girl!" He shouts "Why ain't you doin' your job! This whole town is about to be overrun with heartless and yer just sittin' on your ass!"

Terra and Aqua jump to their feet at the mention of heartless, but before they can rush out Yuffie yells back at the man, "Rude! I'm on break! Cloud and Leon are on duty. Go find one of them."

"But the town is about to be overrun!"

"How many heartless did you really see Cid?" Yuffie asks angrily.

Cid growls back, "I'll have ya know I saw two. Two! Right in front of my house!"

Yuffie rolls her eyes and sighs. Under her breath she mutters sarcastically, "Run for your lives! Two little heartless on the loose."

"Hey! I ain't askin'. Go get rid of those bastards!" Cid shouts at her waving his arms.

"We'll do it," Aqua pipes up catching the others' attention.

"Oh no, you don't want to mess with those things," Yuffie says quickly. "They're pretty nasty pieces of work. I'll go do it. It is my job after all."

"How you stay employed is a mystery to me," Cid wonders out loud. "I guess getting cozy with the boss makes you-"

"Shut it old man," Yuffie yells blushing a little. "Or I might just stay here and let the heartless getcha."

"OK hold on," Terra says jumping in between the two. "You can go at each other later. Right now we need to deal with the heartless problem. Sir," he says turning to Cid," where did you see the heartless."

"Finally! A little respect from you children," Cid says and Yuffie scowls. "They're over in the second district. I'll show ya."

He walks out the door and Aqua and Terra follow quickly. Cid leads them up the steps out of the square and around a shop called The Highwind Market. Soon they reach two large double doors labeled in peeling paint. "District 2"

"Wait up!"

Yuffie comes running from behind and they turn to face her. "Cid may be a pain in my ass," she says with a glare in his direction, "but I can't let you two fight the heartless alone. You don't know what you are up against."

"Actually we fight the heartless all the time," Aqua tells her with a smile.

"You do?" Yuffie asks confused.

"Yeah its kind of our job as well."

"Oh well in that case-"

"Goddammit!" Cid shouts at them. "Great you can all fight heartless. So let's stop chattering like idiots and go whip some heartless ass."

Terra and Aqua join Yuffie in rolling their eyes, but follow Cid as he pushes open the double doors.

"Over there," Cid says as they file through and the doors shut behind them. "At the base of the bell tower. The little bastards were poking around right outside my door."

"Alright let's go," Terra says taking the lead and hurrying down the steps. Standing by the fountain he pauses and surveys the area. No heartless are in sight, but that doesn't mean they aren't lurking nearby. Aqua stands poised at his side also looking around warily.

With the other two behind them, they walk slowly across the empty square. They reach the far side with no heartless jumping out. "They were right here!" Cid exclaims pointing down the short alley to the right.

"You must have been seeing things," Yuffie says annoyed. "Crazy old man."

"Don't test me little girl!"

"They must have gone into hiding," Aqua says quietly to Terra ignoring the bickering behind them.

"Let's give 'em a little incentive to come back out then," Terra replies with a grin.

Together they reach out with their right hands and in a short flash of light their keyblades appear.

"Holy shit!" Cid exclaims in surprise.

"Wow..." is all Yuffie can say.

Suddenly, attracted to the two keyblades, a dozen soldier heartless appear in a circle around the four of them. Without hesitating, Terra and Aqua strike out at the nearest heartless.

Aqua hits the soldier closest to her in the chest and it falls on its butt with a clatter of armor. Before it can get up, she stabs down at it and it fades away except for the heart it was carrying which rose up into the sky. A whistling sound causes her to turn and she jumps out of the way of another soldier that had leaped at her with a spinning attack. As it flew past her she swung at it hard and watched as it too faded away. She spins around to see Yuffie toss a giant shuriken and take the heads off two unsuspecting heartless. Terra slashes with his keyblade at two soldiers that had jumped at his at the same time and sent them flying up high in the air. Aqua jumps, flipping over Terra, and easily dispatches the tumbling heartless. She lands lightly in her feet in front of another soldier that his hopping from foot to foot in fear. She feels something brush her back, but she knows its Terra not some heartless. Without words, they swing their keyblades in identical arcs and two pink hearts float up into the sky.

Aqua spins around to see the final surviving heartless trying to sneak out of the alley in a not so stealthy way. "Oh no you don't!" Yuffie cries running after it with her shuriken raised behind her head.

But she never gets the chance to throw it. A sword suddenly appears from around the corner that kills the heartless in one hit. Yuffie skids to a stop and lowers her weapon. "Squall!" She shouts as a tall brunette man with a serious face walks around the corner into the alley. She hurries over stashing her weapon as she does so. Squall's eyes never leave Terra and Aqua's even as Yuffie pulls him into a hug.

"They're a strange couple the pair of them," Cid says in Terra's ear. "But ya know what they say, opposites attract." He shouts louder down the alley. "Get your girl in line Leon! She's got no respect for her elders."

"Go inside Cid," the man says in an even voice.

With more mutterings about insolent children, Cid storms over to the stained glass doors next to Aqua and throws them open. Aqua can just get a glimpse inside before he shuts the door behind him, but the space inside is clean and elegant two thing she would not have guessed Cid's home would be.

"Squall, these are my friends Aqua and Terra," Yuffie explains and they walk over still being watched carefully by the man. "They came to town today."

"Sorry your first impression of our town had to be these heartless," the man says. "I'm Leon the chief of town defense. May I take a look at those unique swords you carry."

Aqua and Terra still haven't dismissed their keyblades so they hold them out for Leon to see. "They're called keyblades," Terra says.

Leon nods deep in thought. "Yes, I've heard of them. According to legend, keyblade wielders brought havoc and destruction the worlds a long time ago but have since then faded out of existence."

"Um..." Aqua says not quite sure how to respond.

"I never put stock in such things," Leon adds. "Thank you for eliminating the heartless for us."

"Hey! What about me?" Yuffie says pouting.

Leon smiles slightly and says to her, "C'mon. We should report this sighting to Cloud." He looks back at Terra and Aqua. "It was nice meeting you." Leon takes Yuffie's hand and they hurry off down another alley that leads off the square.

"Well Cid was right, those two are a strange couple," Aqua says to Terra as they walk towards the fountain.

"Ha! Cid's one to talk," Terra says and they both laugh.

Reaching the fountain Terra looks curiously at the door to the right. "Let's explore a little Aqua," Terra says and walks over to the door. Aqua follows him through and they find themselves in a back alley. They make their way slowly along the sides of the pools of water.

"So when do you think Merlin is going to get here?" Terra asks.

"I don't know," Aqua says. "Hopefully before we have to leave. I'll feel bad if we abandon Ven again tomorrow."

Terra nods in agreement and then something catches his eye. "What's that?"

He points at something red at the bottom of second pool. He walks over and looks at it through the water. "It looks like a switch," he says and before Aqua can stop him he steps into the water and stomps down on the red mark. With a sound of whirling gears, the gate next to him slides up into a recess opening up the dark space beyond for exploration.

"Terra I don't know if we should-"

"C'mon," he says taking her hand. "Where's your sense of adventure?" With that he pulls her into the water and down the dark tunnel. It bends almost right away cutting off the light from the alley and forcing them to feel their way along.

"Gross!" Aqua squeals. "Terra! The walls are covered in slime."

"Ah don't be such a girl," Terra's voice comes out of the dark and his hand in her's tugs her along. "I think there is something up ahead."

"Terra the water is getting deeper," Aqua says a little worried feeling the cold water reaching up to her hips.

"A little farther," Terra replies only half listening to her. "There is a light up ahead."

They feel their way around another bend and emerge into an underground cave. The rock is tinged green and reflects the dim light that illuminates the space. The dripping of water is the only sound besides the splashing of the two of them climbing out of the water onto the island of rocks.

"This place is so- oh!" Aqua suddenly slips on the slimy rocks, but Terra grabs her arm and pulls her back upright and right next to him. Aqua swallows hard and tilts her head up to look at Terra. She really hates that he is a couple inches taller than her. The flash of worry that had been in his eyes fades as she stares up at him. "Uh.." Aqua is at a loss for a moment, but she pushes Terra away a little more forcefully than necessary. "Sorry, wasn't watching where I stepped.

"That's alright," Terra still staring at her making her squirm slightly. "I'm always here to catch you when you fall."

"Tha-thanks," Aqua stammers. "Maybe we should head back. See if Merlin is here yet."

"In a minute," Terra says turning away. "This place is cool."

Aqua doesn't reply. She watches Terra's back as he examines the rocks and the water that fill the cave. He turns around and she quickly looks away. He walks back over to her, but she pretends to be interested in the small pebble she had dug out of the slime with the tip of her boot. She doesn't look up until he puts his hand on her shoulder. As she tilts her head up, he brings his down, and before she can move, his lips brush hers and her body freezes up. Terra now has both hands on her back and he pulls her closer deepening their kiss.

"Terra," Aqua says pulling away, but his arms keep her close. Close enough that their noses were touching.

She watches as his eyes droop slightly in sadness. He let's his arms drop, but she doesn't step back. Staring into his disappointed blue eyes, she gives into her heart and stands on her tiptoes to kiss him back. She wraps her arms around his neck pulling him down to her. Terra is surprised at first, but quickly puts his hands back on her back and pulls her close to his chest.

Terra is the one to break the kiss this time and he sighs. Aqua lays her head against his chest and he puts his chin on top of her hair. He had done it. He had finally gathered the courage to kiss her. And she had kissed him back! Grinning his kisses the top of her head gently.

"Terra-"

"Aqua, you don't know how long I have waited to do that," Terra says as she pulls away to look him in the face. "I was scared you would-"

"Terra the water."

"What?" Confused Terra looks down noticing for the first time that his boots were getting soaked with cold water. The water in the cave had risen when they were distracted overflowing the rock island they stood on. He turns back to see the the tunnel that had taken them here is nearly submerged. and the water continues to rise although he can't see the source of the sudden change.

"We have to get out of here," Aqua says grabbing his hand and pulling him behind her as she jumps into the deeper water. They can still reach the bottom but the water is now halfway up their chests. They move as fast as they can, hindered by the water, and enter the cave once more. Back in the dark, Terra can only feel Aqua's hand leading him along and the cold water slowly rising higher.

They are no longer wading through the water, they're swimming. The water is up to Terra's neck. His hair is brushing the roof of the tunnel. He takes one more deep breath as the water rises over his head and he kicks forward propelling himself around the last corner.

Coughing, he stands swaying slightly, back in the small pool in the back alley. Here the water level has risen to the point where it has started to overflow the edges of the pool. Aqua pulls herself to the edge and sits with her feet still in the pool trying to catch her breath. The sound of a drain opening makes them both look down to see the water slowly swirling around the opening that suddenly appeared at the bottom of the pool. Terra staggers over to Aqua who is squeezing the water out of her hair with a miserable expression.

"Well, that's enough adventure for one day," Terra says sitting beside her and wrapping one arm around her.

"Terra, we can't," Aqua says shrugging off his arm and standing up.

"We can't?" Terra asks standing as well.

"Master Eraqus would never allow it," Aqua says refusing to look at him.

"He can't stop us," Terra says taking her hand. "If we love each other nothing can-"

Aqua jerks her hand away. Terra stands there shocked then lowers his head. "This doesn't have anything to do with the master does it?"

"Terra, there are rules. We are going to be keyblade masters. You know that we can't have any distractions from protecting the worlds. What if we became...whatever, how would we be able to work together without things getting uncomfortable. And if we broke up!"

"You're overthinking," Terra says with a sad smile. "As always."

"No Terra," Aqua says frowning. "This is exactly what we should be thinking about. Whether we like it or not every aspect of our lives is going to revolve around what is best for the worlds. Our wants will sometimes have to be ignored. We kissed. It was nice. But it can't happen again. Ok?"

Terra is silent for a moment. "Alright. But when you realize that when it comes to love there are no rules and nothing that can get in the way, I'll be waiting."

Aqua walks away a couple steps and then turns back. Slowly she walks up to him. She smiles sadly, "Maybe one day. It would be nice, but..."

"I know. Duty comes first."

Aqua stands on tiptoe and kisses him gently on the cheek. "For what its worth," she whispers in his ear. "I've wanted to kiss you since we were twelve." She takes a step back as he grins at her. "So are we ok?"

"Yeah," Terra says, "We're ok."

* * *

**I was planning on putting the entire visit to Traverse Town in one chapter but then this one got so much longer than I thought it would be. (Like seriously I've never written a chapter over 3000 words and this one is over 4500!) So next chapter will be still in Traverse Town, but that's ok cause I didn't get to explain everything I wanted to about the characters who live there in this chapter. **

**I LOVED writing Cid an Yuffie's dialogue! I'm just going to let you all know that I've never played FF so all my knowledge of the relationships between the characters comes mostly from KH. I have seen Advent Children and read a little background online, but I'm going to draw mostly from KH and my own awesome imagination. Sooo any FF fans out there don't get mad if I mess up things, just go with it ok?**

**And then there is Terra and Aqua. **

**Whose right? Terra thinks that they should follow their hearts no matter what. But Aqua looks at things practically and thinks that to be good keyblade masters they can't have that kind of relationship.**

**Review with any questions or comments and look out for the next chapter! **


	7. Dreams

Chapter 7 _Dreams_

Terra and Aqua leave the back alley and emerge in the square of the 2nd district once more, but this time it is not empty. Aerith is sitting on the edge of the fountain trailing her fingers through the water. She looks up as they walk through the door. "Hello again," she says to them with a small smile. "Have you been exploring Traverse Town?"

"Yes we have," Aqua replies. "Your town is beautiful, especially this fountain."

"Mmm yes," Aerith says turning away from them to look at the mosaic at the back of the small pool of water. "There is just something about this fountain that mesmerizes people. All people come to this town in search for something. Many toss coins in this fountain believing the light it gives their hearts will guide them." She gestures to the scattered coins shimmering at the bottom of the pool. "So many dreamers hoping a little good luck will make their wishes come true. Do you two have a dream?"

Aqua looks over at Terra caught a little off guard by the question. He just smiles a replies, "Of course, Aqua and I have the same dream." Aqua blushes her mind going back to the back alley and the moments of confession between the two of them. Terra however is not thinking along the same lines and continues saying, "Ever since we were kids, our dream has been to one day become keyblade masters."

"If you believe, the fountain may bring you luck in finding your way to reaching your dream," Aerith says.

Terra and Aqua exchange a look both feeling a little skeptical about the supposed wish granting fountain. "It can't hurt right?" Terra says with a shrug.

"I guess we could give it a try," Aqua replies and digs in her pocket for a moment to find to coins one of which she hands to Terra. Their hands touch briefly and Aqua can't help but blush again. Terra doesn't seem to notice as he takes his coin and closes his eyes. He stands beside the fountain with his brow furrowed in concentration for a moment before flipping his coin into the water with a flick of his fingers.

He opens his eyes and stares expectantly at Aqua who imitates him by closing her eyes. In the solitude of her mind she thinks to herself. "I believe dreams come true. And my dream is..." Becoming a keyblade master may be a dream of hers, but she didn't need a magic fountain to make that dream a reality. Her own hard work was going to bring that to her. No, she needed help with a different dream. "My dream is to one day be with Terra, someday, somehow." As she thought those words, she smiles and flips her coin. She opens her eyes at the sound of the small splash and watches as her coin sinks to the bottom of the pool. Resting with all the other dreams that had been cast to the fountain.

"Wonderful!" Aerith says clapping her hands together.

Shaken out of her thoughts and a little embarrassed, Aqua takes a step back and changes the topic by asking Aerith, "Have you seen Merlin arrive yet?"

Aerith shakes her head no and Aqua sighs looking up to the sky. The sun nearly straight over them. "Noon already and he's not here yet," she says unhappily to Terra who stretches his arms over his head.

"He'll show eventually," he tells her confidently. "In the meantime, I'm starved. Let's head back to Tifa's bar and get something to eat."

Aqua rolls her eyes at him. "You're always thinking about food."

"Hey! It's not like we're doing anything else."

Aqua makes a whatever gesture and he grins. Turning to Aerith he asks, "Would you like to join us?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Aerith replies. "I've been out all day and I must check in on the hotel. Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye," Aqua and Terra say as she hurries away to the building marked Hotel.

Aqua looks expectantly at Terra who leads the way back out of the 2nd District and down the steps in the 1st District to the 7th Heaven. Terra stops by the door and gestures for Aqua to go first. "Ladies first."

Giving him a scowl, Aqua walks in first and stops short seeing Tifa leaning over the bar her lips locked with a blond man standing on the other side who has his hands on Tifa's cheeks.

"Oh!" Aqua says in surprise and the two at the bar break apart and look at her surprised. "Oh I'm sorry. We didn't realize..." She trails off and Terra walks in giving the couple a curious look.

"Don't be sorry," Tifa says with a small laugh. "Come on in. Aqua, Terra, this is my fiancee Cloud. Cloud these are the two who Leon and Yuffie were telling you about."

As Aqua and Terra walk over, Cloud comes forward to meet them giving them both a handshake. His blue eyes are very serious as he looks them over for a moment. "Thank you for assisting Yuffie with the heartless situation," he says to them. "You're help is greatly appreciated."

"Thank you sir," Aqua says. "We do our best to help out those in tough situations."

The corner of Cloud's mouth turns up in a half smile. "I'm sure as keyblade wielders you get a lot of practice with that."

"Did you guys want some lunch?" Tifa asks from behind the bar.

"Yes please," Terra says quickly and Aqua covers her mouth to hide her smile at his eagerness.

"Alright," Tifa says. "I'll be right back. Just make yourselves comfortable."

Terra, Aqua, and Cloud all sit around one of the tables. "So are the heartless always so bad around here?" Terra asks Cloud.

"Today was the largest sighting in weeks. Usually, we get a couple to deal with a day. They are usually small and more of nuisance than anything, but they have been known to attack people. That's why Leon set up the Defense Militia. Right now it's just Leon, Yuffie, and myself. Tifa's cousin had been training with us before he went off on some childish adventure. Ran off like he didn't have any responsibilities, like no one would worry about where he disappeared to," Cloud's expression had darkened and they look at him concerned. See their faces he tries to relax. "Sorry, didn't mean to bring that up. Don't mention it to Tifa. She gets upset."

Aqua and Terra both nod that they would say anything to Tifa. And silence descends on the table as no one knows what to say next. To gather more information, Aqua asks Cloud, "So everyone here seems to know the worlds' secret. Why is that?"

"Well most of us have come here from other worlds ourselves," Cloud replies.

"Really? How did you get here?" Aqua asks intrigued. As far as she knew, traveling between worlds is impossible for those who didn't posses great magical power.

"Aerith opened a pathway for us when our homeworld was destroyed," Cloud tells her frowning slightly at the memory.

"What happen-?" Terra tries to ask but is interrupted by a gruff voice from the doorway.

"But my ship will be a much faster way to travel," Cid says smugly walking over next to Terra. He grabs the back of a chair and swings it under him. "Don't think we were ever formally introduced. I'm Cid Highwind. CEO of Highwind enterprises and brilliant inventor."

"Uh its nice to meet you," Terra says surprised. "I'm Terra and this is Aqua."

"Hey you own that shop out there don't you," Aqua says remembering the shop called The Highwind Market in the center of the 1st District.

"Sure bet I do girly," Cid replies. "I own half the shops in this crazy town. But that's not what I'm tryin' to tell ya about."

"Cid-" Cloud says quietly but the older man ignores him.

"Couldn't help but overhear your discussion of traveling between worlds," Cid continues. "I'm currently on a breakthrough with a new kind of technology that will blow your minds. I call it Gummi technology. It's incredible stuff. It's gonna be the future of interworld travel. One day we will all be travelin' in style in our own personal Gummi ships with warpspeed, and cloaking devices, and cupholders, and-"

"Cid!" Cloud succeeds in getting Cid to pause. "Last time you experimented with a so called breakthrough the town lost power for four days."

"So the electric mosquito nets had a few short circuits. I still haven't forgiven Leon for destroying them all. They could have saved our necks from those damn bloodsuckers if he had let me try again. But that doesn't matter. Gummi technology is different. It's gonna be the next big thing."

"Not another of your infamous inventions Cid," Tifa groans coming back out of the kitchen with a tray of six plates. Cloud immediately jumps to his feet and takes the tray from her hands.

"This one is sure to-"

"Yeah whatever," Tifa says. "But if you knock out the power again you'll have me to answer too. Last time it took me days to reopen the bar." She takes the plates from the tray Cloud had set on the table next to them and hands them around. "Here we go," she says handing Terra his plate. "Gourmet grilled cheese."

"Awesome," Terra says with a grin diving right in. Everyone takes their plate and begin to eat as well. "This is really good Tifa," Terra says with difficulty. Swallowing he continues, "Aqua doesn't make grilled cheese nearly as good as this."

"Hey!" Aqua retorts. "Next time you can make dinner if I don't meet your standards."

"Woah Aqua," Terra says backtracking fast. "I didn't mean...I...uh...I was just kidding. Your grilled cheese is the best ever." Looking over at Tifa he shakes his head and points at the sandwich in his hand.

Aqua pretends not to notice and asks Cloud and Tifa, "So you guys are engaged, are Leon and Yuffie..." She leaves the question hanging expecting Tifa or Cloud to finish it for her, but before they can Cid jumps in.

"Oh those two! They're like rabbits in spring. Can't keep it in their pants. If you ask me-"

"Cid!" Tifa cuts him off. "That is not what she was asking." Giving him a hard frown she turns to Aqua whose cheeks are tinged pink and says, "Don't listen to him. He thinks he knows everything about everyone in town. Leon and Yuffie are going out, but as far as we know it isn't anything serious yet."

Aqua nods and focuses on eating her grilled cheese not wanting to pose anymore questions. An awkward silence falls on the table. This time it is Tifa who breaks it asking Terra and Aqua, "So you two are keyblade wielders. What's that like?"

"Oh," Aqua says looking at Terra for an answer but he just continues to devour his sandwich. "Um it's a lot of work," she says lamely. "We train everyday with our master, Master Eraqus. We live at his school, MEKA, and well..." Aqua really doesn't know what else to say.

Luckily Terra jumps in. "Yeah it's a pretty nice place, but it gets a little lonely. Last week we got a new student though. His name is Ventus. He was really upset that Master Eraqus wouldn't let him come with us today, but I'm sure he will be tagging along someday when we come back here."

"Do you travel between worlds often?" Cloud asks.

"Yeah. We do all sorts of missions that-" Terra gets interrupted as Cid bursts out,

"How do you get around? Do you use Gummi technology 'cause I already put a patent on it."

"N-no" Terra replies shocked by the older man's forcefulness. "Our keyblades, they can take us to the different worlds."

"Just sit down and listen Cid," Tifa says annoyed. "Please continue with what you were saying."

"I was saying that we do all sorts of missions in a bunch of different worlds," Terra says. "We used to go with Master Eraqus on all of them, but since we are preparing to take our Mark of Mastery exams he has been sending us out just the two of us. Returning Merlin's book is actually only our second mission without him. The first was finding Ven."

"Well you can tell your master that we say you guys are doing great on your own," Tifa says with a smile.

"Thanks Tifa," Terra says. "I just hope Merlin shows up soon so we can get back early. Ven is doing more one on one training with Master Eraqus today and, after yesterday, I wonder what state the two of them will be in when we get back."

"What happened yesterday?" Aqua asks surprised.

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you," Terra says. "Do you remember that day when we were 9 I think when I told you I had found tree that was tall enough that we could reach the stars from it?"

Aqua laughs, "Yeah you convinced me to follow you through the forest and ended up getting us hopelessly lost. It took us hours to find our way back, and when we go there Master Eraqus was-" She stops smiling and looks at him in worry. "That was the only time Master Eraqus ever lost his cool and yelled at us. Is that what happened yesterday?"

"Almost," Terra replies, "When I went to watch Ven train Master Eraqus was this close to snapping." He holds his index and thumb out nearly touching. "You were right that they would butt heads."

"Ven was swearing?" Aqua asks.

"Yep," Terra says to her and then turns to the others. "Our master has a hatred of swearing and Ven, well he's Ven, he swears when he is angry."

"That sounds like someone we know," Tifa says staring not so subtly at Cid who has lost interest in the conversation and is instead muttering to himself,

"Highwind...yeah that will be the first one...seat warmers...joystick controls...definitely should be red..."

Everyone glances at him, but decides for the time being it is best to ignore him.

"I'm going to have to talk to Ven about this when we get back," Aqua says.

"Don't bug him Aqua. You know there is something else on his mind that's making him so angry. Just give him a little space," Terra says knowing she already has her mind set.

"Since when have I been known to give people space when they are upset?" Aqua asks him.

Terra has to admit that it isn't her style to let Ven keep his anger bottled up. It is more her style to jump him and pin him down demanding to have a heart to heart conversation. Terra rubs his shoulder wondering if the bruise had faded yet from Aqua "convincing" him to talk the last time he had gotten upset. "Just don't hurt him permanently ok?"

"I'll try not to," she says sticking her tongue out at him. "I just want to know if he's ok."

Silence descends once more on the table until Tifa asks, "So what about the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" Aqua asks confused.

"Well you asked what was going on between Yuffie and Leon, I'm just curious about the two of you. You seem really close."

Aqua can feel the heat coming off her face and looks over to see Terra's face bright red and his eyes are unable to hold her glance. Neither respond and Tifa feels bad for asking. "I'm sorry I didn't realize-"

"Don't let 'em off the hook!" Cid exclaims suddenly listening once more. "C'mon you two spit it out. Don't spare us the details."

"We...I...uh...it's...well..." Aqua can only stammer her brain unable to form a cohesive sentence.

Suddenly a huge explosion shakes the ground and they all grab the table in surprise. "This can't be good," Cloud says quietly standing quickly and hurrying for the door. Aqua, Terra, and Tifa rush after him with Cid trailing behind.

"Saved by the explosion," Cid grumbles then calls after them, "When you two get back here I expect answers!"

* * *

**Okaaaay so again this world is so much longer than I thought it was going to be. I'm pretty sure now that it is only going to take one more chapter to wrap it all up. **

**This chapter was a little on the slow side in my opinion but I wanted to get a little more background on the Traverse Town gang so what better way to do that then a little story swapping and a little gossiping over lunch. I hope you all liked this chapter since I seriously came up with the entire thing on the spot today. I'm seriously loving writing dialogue for Cid! I'm also loving torturing Terra and Aqua :)**

***sigh* I'm not going to let myself write tomorrow because I still haven't done any hw. I have to read a ton of shit for english, take notes for history, and learn an entire fucking chapter for AP Chem because my teacher doesn't have enough time to teach us it in class before the exam. Any other AP students feeling my pain out there?**

**Ugh! Why isn't vacation really vacation anymore? I've been getting up at like 7 every morning this week for softball. I love softball but really? 7? Not cool coach. But hey, I'm the starting pitcher at our game tomorrow so wish me luck :)**

**So yeah loving this story and loving the reviews I'm getting! I've written so much this week cause I seriously have no life. I have lots of chapters half done for later in this story and I can't wait to get to them!**

**Oh and remember what I was saying about not following the FF storylines when it comes to the characters in KH yeah I warned you so don't get all pissy when Tifa's cousin comes into play. I know he's not supposed to be related to her but it makes it easier to write the story trust me. And yeah I'm being vague on purpose I would hate to ruin the surprises I have set up in this story.**

**Also got a new laptop and its sweet! So much better writing on this than on my phone. My mom came into my room today and asked what I was working on cause I was hogging the new laptop. When I told her it was my fanfiction for KH she just rolled her eyes and left. She thinks I'm weird but whatever. I spent last night trying to teach her the storyline of BBS. Don't think she had as much fun as I did... Oh well! She has to put up with me for two more years. **

**Don't ask me why I decided to tell you all about my life in this AN cause I don't really know. I guess I'm just bored or tired or something.**

**...**

**Anyone know the song ****Walk Over Me** **by The All-American Rejects? I'm jammin out to it right now!**

**...**

**REVIEW! **


	8. Merlin the Great Wizard

Chapter 8 _Merlin the Great Wizard_

As soon as the doors of the bar are thrown open the source of the explosion is apparent. Directly across the square from the bar the large doors under the sign for the 3rd District are wide open, cracked, and hanging off their hinges. On the other side, a huge heartless is rampaging around. As the Aqua and Terra spring forward, three young children run out of the blown open doors. They look back at the towering heartless in fear and Tifa yells to them, "Wakka! Take Selphie and Tidus home now!"

"But Marlene..." The little girl whimpers clinging to hand of the older of the two boys while trying to turn back to the doors they had just come out of.

A shrill shriek comes from the 3rd District and all look up alarmed. The little girl cries out and tries to run back towards the large heartless which is just noticing the group with weapons on the other side of the blown out doors. "Selphie no!" Cloud calls out and runs to the little girl scooping her into his arms. She kicks and protests but Cloud ignores her tantrum and runs her back to the two young boys she had been with before. He drops her hastily next to the older of the two boys and the boy immediately grabs her hand again preventing her from running back into danger. "Wakka get Tidus and Selphie out of here," Cloud says quickly. "Then go to the Hotel and find Aerith. Tell her what's happened and then go home right away. Do you understand?"

Wakka nods solemnly and pulls away the still protesting Selphie with the younger boy who must be Tidus following behind obediently. Tidus looks back at the group of fighters his eyes wide with fear and awe as he watches them prepare to go against the heartless. Cloud hurries back to join the others, coming up beside Terra. They crouch to the side of one of the doors peering in at the heartless almost gleefully destroying the 3rd District.

"Have you ever seen a heartless like this?" Cloud asks Terra. He shakes his head no and looks to Aqua who is crouched next to the other door with Cid and Tifa behind her.

Aqua meets his gaze for a moment and then turns back to keep her eyes trained on the heartless. The thing is massive, about two stories tall. It seems to be made of 5 pieces of purple and black armor that work independently yet in harmony with each other. It's rather small head bobs up and down above a barrel like torso as it's limbs wreak havoc on the small district. The two disembodied feet stomp up and down in a terrifying temper tantrum that leaves craters in the paving stones. At the same time, it's two arms spin so fast they become a blur around the torso piece. Leaving the feet behind, the torso with arms still spinning carenes around crashing into the walls and knocking bricks and other debris to the ground.

"Marlene is in there," Tifa says her voice full of worry.

"Just leave her to me," Cid says gruffly. "You just go take care of that son of a bitch and I'll find the kid."

"Alright," Cloud says. "Let's get to it."

He runs in first with Terra right on his heels. "Farewell," Cloud calls threateningly to the heartless which rounds to face the two men as they rush forward. Cloud swings his huge sword in an overhead attack aiming for the torso of the heartless only to be blocked by the swinging fists. He stumbles back as Terra moves forward to strike in a similar way with his summoned keyblade. However, the swinging fists had been halted by Cloud's attack and Terra's attack struck home knocking the armored heartless back with a loud clatter.

Tifa and Aqua run up next to them and stand on the balls of their feet. The heartless stood across from them sizing them up it's hands and feet flipping around like it was nervous or angry. Cloud looks to Tifa out of the corner of his eye and in a strained voice says to her, "Tifa, you shouldn't be here. You don't have a weapon."

"Cloud," Tifa replies rolling her eyes slightly, obviously this isn't the first time her ability to join in the fighting had been questioned. "You know I can fight perfectly fine without some clumsy sword."

"Tifa this thing can't be fought with fists," Cloud says warningly.

"Says you," Tifa shoots back a hard edge in her voice. "You've never fought one of these things before."

"Uh guys," Terra jumps in. "I don't think this thing is going to wait for the two of you to finish arguing."

As Terra speaks, the armor makes a loud crashing noise as it splits itself. The arms move to the right and the fists pound together in a menacing way. The legs run to the left and flip over in preparation to fight. The torso and head stay in place and a new visor forms over the blank black eyes of the heartless. Without words, the group of determined fighters easily splits as well taking on the large heartless on separately.

Tifa is the first to pick her target running over to the stomping feet with Cloud following close behind his dismay at her insistence on fighting still etched on his face. Aqua and Terra rush forward together and stand back to back as the two arms and the torso surround them. Terra faces the arms as the fists pound against each other again while Aqua glares at the head and torso bobbing up and down. Their stances are mirror images of each other and without any words or any signal between the two, they leap forward at their respective targets at the exact same time.

Tifa picks up speed as she gets closer to the two stomping feet. When she gets within striking distance, she launches herself at the closest one and flies the short distance with her right arm curled back like a spring. Inches from the armored foot, she punches forward in a split second and with a satisfying crunch Tifa's fist smacks the the ankle of the foot and it tumbles to the ground.

"Tifa!"

Cloud's voice full of warning makes her turn and leap back away from the second foot that had kicked forward at her while she was distracted by it's counterpart. She is quick but not quick enough as the toe catches her under the chin. She feels her head jerk back painfully fast and pain shoots down her spine. Landing hard on her back she only has a second to catch her breath before the foot comes back into vision having hopped into the air and making to stomp down at her. She ignored the now receding pain and rolls to get out of the way. But the foot never makes it to it's target.

Cloud has reached the fight and swings his sword around to catch the foot in mid air sending it crashing back to the ground in the opposite direction of Tifa. Cloud hurries to Tifa and reaches out his hand to help her up. Taking his hand gratefully, she rises to her feet with a small grimace of pain.

"Please-" Cloud tries to say squeezing her hand tight.

"Don't Cloud," Tifa growls back at him cutting him off. "I'm not standing back."

Cloud's face hardens into a scowl that she ignores pulling her hand from his and dropping back into a battle stance as the feet hop back up and shuffle over to each other. Each take a turn doing a flip before jumping up in perfect synchronism slamming back down to create new craters to join the already pockmarked paving stones. They continue to stomp, leaping forward at the couple with each jump into the air. Cloud dashes forward his huge sword swinging expertly in his hands. As the feet launch themselves up to stomp down on him he swings his sword under them and they land on the blade with a screech of metal scratching against metal.

With a roar of effort, Cloud uses both hands on his sword to lift it up high into the air sending the feet into a tumbling freefall as they came back to him. Cloud spun on his heels and whipped his sword in a horizontal slash that caught both feet as they fell and forced them to suddenly change direction in the air. He watched with satisfaction as they crashed down on top of each other twitching slightly.

Behind him, running footsteps move towards him and he immediately knows its Tifa. Knowing what she is going to do, Cloud turns slightly thrusting his hand out to her. Her familiar hand fits perfectly in him and as she jumps over him he adds his momentum to hers by swing his arm over his head. He lets go at the perfect time and Tifa flies through the air in a controlled flip her legs tucked in tight and her hair splayed out around her head. She lands a couple yards from the heartless feet with her legs bent and smashes her fist into the ground causing a shock wave to ripple away from the impact in a flash headed right for the feet that had just pulled themselves back upright only to be knocked to the ground once more as the shock wave slams into them.

Tifa stands back up with a smug grin looking down at the disembodied feet of the heartless trying and failing to right themselves. Cloud comes up behind her slipping his arm around her waist. "I guess it can be fought with fists," she says with an obviously faked surprised glance at Cloud. Cloud's serious eyes have no spark of humor as he shakes his head in surrender and pulls her a little closer to him.

Terra's eyes dart around quickly trying to keep his focus on the hands of the heartless spinning around at a dizzying speed. He waits knowing it is no use to try and attack because anything he would try would just be deflected. The hands get frustrated at his patience and suddenly move towards him still spinning. Terra jumps back to avoid them, but they can move faster then him. Now forced to act, Terra, with incredible hand eye coordination, swings his keyblade in an overhead cut that hits one of the hands straight on and knocks it out of it's dangerous orbit sending it to the ground.

The other hand slows to a stop now unsure what to do without it's counterpart. Terra doesn't wait for it to adjust however and charges at it slicing through it once, then again backhand, and then again from over the top in a devastating combo. The heartless' hand slams into the paving stones and lies twitching feebly. With a smirk Terra turns to see where the other hand and gone off to and spots it moving towards him cautiously with it's claw like fingers outstretched.

As Terra takes a step forward to meet it, his leg is suddenly yanked out from under him and with a small cry of surprise he falls with little grace just getting his hands up in time to stop himself from hitting the ground face first. "What the hell?" He growls pushing himself over to see the hand he had taken as out of commission moments ago had dragged itself over to him and is responsible for tripping him. It now hovers only a foot of the ground near his feet swaying back and forth. Terra sits up stabbing it once more and once again it falls the ground twitching.

Now wary of it, he begins to stand slowly not taking his eyes off the hand. But he has forgotten it isn't alone. Out of the corner of his eye he catches it's counterpart rushing at him having snuck up and caught him unawares. With a hasty change of direction Terra spins still only half upright and throws up his keyblade in a block. The screech of metal on metal rings out and Terra looks past his keyblade surprised. It had not been his blade that struck the heartless but Leon's who has just appeared with gunblade in hand and raised into a striking position.

"Need a hand?" Leon asks.

"No thanks, I already have two to deal with," Terra says in reply.

Leon blinks and turns to look at him his face portraying no hint of a smile. "Let's just finish this," Terra says hastily and after a pause Leon nods in agreement. During their short exchange, the two heartless hands had pulled themselves together and now hang in the air side by side in front of Terra and Leon. The raised fists move towards them held in a position that reminds Terra of a boxer preparing to fight.

"Get out of my town!" Leon roars and charges with his gunblade. He whips his gunblade around to cut horizontally through the two hands but they evade him by dropping under the weapon. As Leon regains his balance from his miss, Terra leaps into action his bulky keyblade smashing down on the right hand with enough force to send it reeling. Only half a second behind, Leon sends the left hand off in the same way and the two heartless hands lie on the cobblestones defeated.

Aqua's eyes narrow as she sizes up her opponent. The torso of the heartless seems defenseless, but it's movements seem to indicate it isn't as helpless as it appears without it's limbs. _Never underestimate your opponent_. As always Aqua follows the lesson's Master Eraqus' constant teaching had ingrained in her mind. She approaches cautiously looking for signs of aggression from the floating body. Her wariness pays off as the body suddenly lunges at her spinning like a top.

Without a conscious thought, Aqua let's her instincts take over and her keyblade is suddenly held out in front of her face. The spinning torso crashes into her and for a second her extended keyblade is pushed back and she can feel the wind whipping past her face from the torso's motion. Aqua quickly braces herself and pushes back on her keyblade forcing the torso of the heartless to move away. It stops spinning and begins to circle her keeping it's blank eyes, mostly obscured by it's helmet, trained on her. After the third time it made a circle around her, her patience has worn thin and now annoyed she shouts, "Thundaga!"

Out of thin air, a burst of bright lightning appeared above the torso and shot through it before it had even a second to react. The electricity crackled around it for a moment before it vanished and the slightly smoking metal torso fell out of the air with a crash. Aqua wasted no time in jumping forward. Her slim keyblade cracked down on the head of the heartless over and over. Even as the torso began to shake as it recovered from the shock it had taken, Aqua continued to keep her keyblade trained on it's head. With a final violent shake, the torso and head suddenly jumped back into the air forcing Aqua to jump back as well. She settles back into a fighting stance to look for her next opening when a blurr flying through the air catches her eye.

The heartless does not notice and is caught by surprise when the large blurr hit's it in the side of the head causing it to jerk from the impact. Aqua can see that the now slower moving object is a shuriken and isn't surprised when it is suddenly snatched out of the air by Yuffie as the girl comes running over. "Hey ugly!" Yuffie shouts at the heartless as she skids to a stop next to Aqua. "You wanna play?" With that taunt she throws her shuriken again and it glances off the armored chest of the heartless. Obviously wounded, the torso retreats from the two girls as Yuffie jumps into the air to catch her shuriken that had spun in the air to head back to her.

With fierce concentration, Aqua launches into a complicated attack she calls Wishing Edge. She jumps high into the air and twists her body into a tight spin. As she completes a rotation she lunges at the unprepared torso and uses the momentum she had generated to land a devastating blow to the heartless. Landing back on her feet she smiles slightly as the heartless collapses once more to the paving stones. It tries to rise back up only to fall back once more defeated.

"Yeah! Girl power! Girl power!" Yuffie shrieks running forward and lifting Aqua's hand into the air in victory. Laughing, Aqua looks around to see how Terra and the others had fared. Terra, now accompanied by Leon, looks up standing over the two hands of the heartless. He flashes her a smile and they both turn to see that Tifa and Cloud had also succeeded in their battle leaving the two feet still on the paving stones.

But the heartless hasn't given up. A clamor announces to the fighters that the heartless is not done and to their dismay the torso rises back into the air. From being strewn across the 3rd District all the limbs fly back to their rightful spot forming one giant heartless ready to fight. "Guess that was just round one," Terra says as he comes up beside Aqua.

"Let's end this before it gets to round three," Leon says as he, Cloud, and Tifa join the ranks facing down the single heartless. In response, the heartless suddenly flips contorting itself in a way the fighters have never seen before. Before her eyes, Aqua watches as the heartless completely changes into some kind of cannon. Confused for a moment, Aqua stands still until she sees a light forming deep in the barrel formed by the torso of the heartless.

"Move!" She shouts grabbing Yuffie's hand and diving out of the way with the other girl falling to the ground beside her. A huge boom rings out and from her position on the ground Aqua sees a huge ball of energy fly over her head and collide with the wall. It disappears on impact but leaves a hole nearly a foot deep in the stone. Aqua begins to stand, but there is something keeping her down. Turning her head the other way she sees Terra with his arm thrown protectively over her. As he pushes himself onto his knees and retracts his arm and Aqua sits up trying to shake the ringing out of her ears. Yuffie sits up next to her and a few feet away Cloud, Tifa, and Leon are getting up as well. Cloud it the first one to his feet and points his large sword at the cannon like heartless.

"This our town," Cloud says coldly staring down the heartless over his sword. "Get out."

The heartless turns to face him putting him right in the crosshairs of it's barrel. Cloud doesn't waver, holding his ground with a hard expression. Suddenly, an enormous fireball explodes engulfing the heartless entirely. Stunned, Aqua just stares as the large heartless is visible for a moment inside the fireball and then is gone except for the small pink heart rising up from the inferno. As the fire fades out of existence Terra rises to his feet and holds his hand out to Aqua helping her to her feet.

"Good riddance to that infernal thing."

Aqua turns to face the man who had spoken and sees a familiar short old man in a blue robe walking through the blown open doors of the 3rd District carrying a wand in one hand while stroking his long white beard with the other. At once she bows slightly in his direction knowing Terra is doing the same beside her. "Uh..." Yuffie says looking at the two of them confused. "Who's the new guy?"

"Merlin," Terra tells her, "the great wizard."

"Oh thank you my boy," Merlin says with a small laugh. "Don't worry," he says kindly to Yuffie, "I usually just go by Merlin, the 'great wizard' part gets old after awhile believe me."

Leon moves forward a couple steps staring intently at the latest newcomer to his town. "Thank you for the help," he says in a serious voice. "That heartless wasn't going down easy."

"My pleasure," Merlin says good naturedly. "Well now, I couldn't have that monster destroying my new home now could I?"

"Oi!" Cid's shout makes them all spin around to see him looking around the wall by the steps. "Did ya get rid of that thing?"

"Yes," Tifa says rushing towards him. "Did you-" Her sigh of relief cuts her off as Cid walks over to them with a small girl, who could be only four years old, clinging tightly to his neck burying her face in his chest.

"Marlene!" Aerith runs full sprint into the 3rd District with an expression of fear melting into relief. The little girl lifts her head and turns in Cid's arms tucking a loose strand of soft brown hair behind her ear.

"Mommy!" She cries happily reaching out towards Aerith. Cid quickly sets her down, and Marlene runs to her mother with a smile from ear to ear. Aqua smiles happily as mother and daughter embrace each other tight.

As the others move to make sure Marlene is ok, Aqua and Terra turn to Merlin. "Well just look at the two of you," Merlin exclaims looking up at the two of them. "You've each grown so much. Last time I saw you I could look at you eye to eye. You two are making me feel old." He laughs and the two of them join in as well.

"Here is you book back Merlin," Aqua says handing over the empty book. "Master Eraqus said he could only infer that with the pages missing, the book has lost it's magic."

Taking the book from her he nods. "That is the same conclusion I drew as well. Tell Eraqus thank you for his input. If I discover any other curious objects I'll make sure to ask his opinion again."

"Terra, Aqua, Merlin!" Tifa's call makes them turn. "Come on back to the 7th Heaven. I think this victory deserves a party. Cid's buying!"

"Hey missy I never agreed to that!"

Laughing Terra and Aqua with Merlin following curiously behind them follows the others back to the 1st District.

...

"Do you really have to go?" Yuffie whines slightly pouting when her two new friends nod that they do.

"But we'll be back," Terra says with a grin.

"Stop by anytime you are nearby," Leon tells them shaking Terra and then Aqua's hand.

"Thank you for everything," Aerith calls quietly from her seat at the bar where Marlene is curled up fast asleep in her lap.

"If we ever have trouble with the heartless we will know who to call," Cloud says shaking their hands after Leon.

"Here take this," Tifa says shoving a bag of to go boxes into Terra's hands. When he and Aqua open their mouths to protest she stops them with a raised hand. "Just take it you deserve a reward from us."

Terra looks at the bag curiously. "Grilled cheese?" He asks hopefully.

"Grilled cheese," Tifa replies in conformation.

Laughing at the excited expression on Terra's face, Aqua grabs him by the arm turning him around to leave. "Bye guys!" She calls over her shoulder. "We'll be sure to come back soon and next time we will try to bring Ven along."

As they reach the door, Cid suddenly shouts, "Wait!" They turn to face him and with a shrewd smile he says, "Ya never told us what the heck is going on between the two of ya."

With cheeks burning from embarrassment, Aqua pushes a stuttering Terra out the door. "Goodbye!" She calls forcefully.

"Wait!" Cid calls again but this time they don't stop.

* * *

**A thousand apologies! This took so long for me to write compared to the pace I was going at before. But you know life just got in the way this week. School and softball, softball and school. *sigh* **

**Hope you liked this chapter! It had a lot more action than the others. I know I was like "finally! lets get to the fighting" hope you felt the same way. Next chapter is going to be...well I don't know what it's going to be really. I know how its going to start and I'll just go wherever my imagination takes me. It will probably take about a week for me to finish it like this chapter. **

**As always reviews would make me super happy! This was the first major battle scene of this story and it would great to hear if you guys thought it came out good or not. I will always take constructive criticism if you noticed something I could improve on.**


	9. Cooking with Fire

Chapter 9 _Cooking with Fire_

"Wow! Love what you've done with the place."

Xehanort glances over with a hard frown at his sarcastic companion. "It is only temporary," he says clasping his hands behind his back and pacing around the small cave. The low ceilings makes the rude man, Braig, have to slouch uncomfortably to avoid hitting his head. Xehanort has gotten used to his primitive surroundings and no longer notices the grime.

"This is where you want me to live? As if! I'm not staying in this hole just to watch over some keyblade brats," Briag says.

"Oh no, I have other instructions for you," Xehanort says smiling evilly. "The boy has his weaknesses. I need to know what they are. Go back to that disgusting world he is from and find me something we can use against him."

"And what if I say no," Braig replies narrowing his eyes at Xehanort. "I've already risked a lot to help you and have I gotten any of that dark power? As if!"

"Patience," Xehanort says. "All will fall into place. I promised you power over the worlds and you will get it. But first we must get rid of these keyblade wielders of light. Their radiance sickens me."

"But that boy," Briag says shrewdly. "You have some other plans for him?"

"Indeed I do," Xehanort replies but refuses to tell Braig anymore. "Go. Do as I instructed and one day I will fulfill your aspirations of power."

"Alright grandpa, I'll go along for now," Braig says in a distrusting voice. "But you better hold up your end of the bargain." He waits a moment for Xehanort to reply that he will but the older man just glares at Braig for the insinuation of deceit. The cold yellow eyes make Braig shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Maybe he had gone to far, Xehanort is not a man to argue with. "Alright, alright, I'm going," Braig says more eager than ever to get out of the small cave. Wordlessly, Xehanort summons a dark portal near the cave's exit and with a final smirk Braig disappears through it.

Xehanort steps past the portal as it vanishes and walks out of the dim shadows of the cave into the soft light of the sunset. From his perch on the rock ledge halfway up the mountain, Xehanort can just see the top spires of the towers of MEKA above the trees. A dark smile breaks the impassive mask and the gleam in his eye is full of malice. "For now I will wait," he says out loud to himself. "Grow strong Ventus, your destiny is closer than you think."

"What the- Ah! Fuck!"

The surprised shout makes Terra and Aqua jump and they quickly hurry to the kitchen where Ven's voice is coming from. They burst in to find him shaking the water out of a water bottle at the open oven where whatever Ven had been attempting to cook is on fire. Sadly, Ven's efforts to put out the flames with the water are in vain. "How the fuck did that even happen?" He shouts angrily at the blaze not noticing that he is no longer alone. "Goddammit," he swears throwing the now empty bottle on the ground. "What am I going to do now? Huh?"

Aqua had quietly called out "Blizzard" and the ice quickly puts out the flames. Spinning on his heels, Ven catches sight of the two of them in the doorway and his face breaks into a smile. "Guys!" His grin fades as he takes in their disapproving expressions and he glances guiltily at the still smoking oven.

"Uh..." Ven says not able to meet their eyes. "Would you mind not telling Master Eraqus about this?" He folds his hands behind his head and leans back hoping to look relaxed.

Terra dumps the bag of food Tifa had given him on the counter and opens his mouth to reply, but any hope Ven had vanishes as Master Eraqus hurries into the kitchen taking in the smoking oven and Ven's nervous expression. "What happened here Ventus?" He asks in a shocked voice.

"Well you see," Ven says trying to sound calm, but his voice unfortunately cracks. "I noticed it was time to start making dinner, but you guys," pointing to Terra and Aqua, "weren't back yet. You were busy Master Eraqus and I just wanted to be helpful. But, I've never tried to cook anything before so..." Unable to think of what to say, Ven just gestures at the blackened mass in the oven of what may at one point have been chicken. He waits nervously for Master Eraqus to say something.

Master Eraqus regards him for a moment before shaking his head and walking around the counter in the center of the kitchen to Ven and the oven with a frown. He summons his keyblade and raises it to point at the oven. As he does so, Ven flinches violently and hastily takes a step back tripping over the corner of the still open door of the oven. He falls over backwards and lands hard on his back. Surprised, Master Eraqus quickly moves to his side in concern and is stunned when Ven scoots away from him as fast as he can.

"Ventus?" Master Eraqus asks confused as Terra and Aqua move across the kitchen to look at Ven just as confused as Master Eraqus.

Ven inhales sharply as Master Eraqus takes another step towards him. His eyes are wide with the sudden a fear that had taken over the blond boy the cause of which is a mystery to the others. Master Eraqus takes another step forward even more concerned now and Ven shouts, "I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry!"

Master Eraqus halts feeling the fear in Ven's voice. At a loss for words he just looks at the boy now sitting pressed up against the wall of the kitchen. Ven's eyes are trained not on Master Eraqus but on the keyblade in his hand. Noticing this, Master Eraqus asks slowly, "Ventus, are you scared of me?"

Ven tries to move farther away but he can't. With a look like a caged wild animal, his eyes dart around always coming back to rest on Master Eraqus' keyblade. Master Eraqus makes his keyblade disappear and Ven visibly relaxes. Ven gives no further reaction except to stare at Master Eraqus with his big blue eyes as the man takes a couple cautious steps forward and crouches to be on the same level as Ven. "Ventus," Master Eraqus says softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you. There is no reason to be afraid. It was just an accident." Master Eraqus stands slowly holding out his hand to help Ven up. "C'mon, it's ok."

Tentatively, Ven lifts his own hand to take Master Eraqus' and rises to his feet his eyes still containing a shadow of fear. He pulls his hand back and wraps his arms around himself looking down at the ground. "Ven why did you just-" Terra begins to say, but Master Eraqus' raised hand stops him. Master Eraqus gently rests his hand on Ven's shoulder and the boy flinches again pulling away from his touch slightly.

Master Eraqus sighs sadly and asks Ven, "Has someone hurt you before when you made a mistake?" After a pause, Ven nods still keeping his eyes on the ground. "Who?"

Ven briefly meets his eye before shaking his head and turning his back on them. "It doesn't matter," he mumbles quietly.

With another sigh Master Eraqus says in a saddened voice, "Alright Ventus, if you don't want to talk about it that is your decision. But we are going to talk about this."

Confused Ven turns back around. "Mistakes are how we learn Ventus," Master Eraqus says. "You will make plenty while you are living here. Some may be small and some may be major, and they will all have consequences and punishments. But I will never hurt you. Did you hear me Ventus? No matter what I will never raise my keyblade against you, nor will Terra, nor will Aqua. That may have been what you have grown to expect in Carinol but here there won't be any of that. Do you believe me?"

Ven looks deep into Master Eraqus' eyes and after a moment he nods solemnly. "I'm sorry for...that," Ven says now a little embarrassed. "I don't know what came over me. It's just...I guess old fears die hard."

"Ven..." Aqua walks over and pulls him into a smothering hug. He returns her hug gladly until, "You have to tell us what's going on."

Ven pulls away quickly and asks slowly, "What do you mean?"

"You know just what I mean," Aqua says in a gentle voice. "What aren't you telling us? Who hurt you? Why are you hiding from-"

"Aqua stop it!" Ven shouts angrily cutting her off. "I don't want to talk about it alright. Its just..." He trails off but the others continue to stare at him. "Its just too painful to think about," he whispers.

"I'm sorry Ven," Aqua says after a pause. "I didn't realize it was painful for you. I just thought if you told us it would be better."

"Maybe...maybe..." Ven mumbles to himself running his fingers through his hair. Silence descends on the kitchen as Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua hold their breath waiting to see what Ven will decide and then,

"I'm sorry for ruining dinner," Ven suddenly says changing the topic. "What are we going to do now?"

Terra looks over at the other two seeing the disappointment flash in their eyes for a moment. "Well, we have grilled cheese," Terra says to Ven. Ven and Master Eraqus look at him surprised and Aqua picks up the bag from the counter where Terra had left it.

"Tifa, she is someone we met in Traverse Town, gave us grilled cheese sandwiches as thanks for fighting off some heartless," Aqua says opening the boxes as Terra pulls out plates and glasses. Leaving his apprentices to set the table, Eraqus turns back to the oven and summons his keyblade once more. Pointing it at the blackened interior of the oven, Master Eraqus says, "Magnega."

All the soot and burnt pieces of meat peel themselves off the sides of the oven and come together in a hovering ball near the tip of Master Eraqus' keyblade. Turning away from the now sparkling clean oven, Eraqus directs the ball into the trashcan and releases the magic. He walks back over to the dining table to join the subdued dinner his apprentices had laid out.

…

After hearing Terra and Aqua's story of their adventures in Traverse Town, minus a few select details about what transpired in a certain hidden cave, Master Eraqus inquires in more detail about the boss heartless they had fought. Ven yawned hugely to catch their attention and stood. "I'm going to bed, see you all tomorrow," he says turning towards the kitchen door.

"Goodnight Ven," Aqua calls. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight." "Goodnight." Master Eraqus and Terra echo.

Ven slowly climbs the stairs trying to keep his mind blank. He could feel the flashbacks coming. The dark red room with the curtains closed. Stormy grey eyes boring into his own. A glint of light reflecting for a moment off a ring before the hand its on comes crashing down in a fist.

Ven leans against the railing taking in shaky breaths. With an enormous effort he conjures up the one image that always sends his nightmares away. Tay. His best friend's bright green eyes so full of life and caring. His black hair as wild as ever fitting his personality so well, unable to be tamed. With a smile, Ven crawls into bed and closes his eyes keeping the image of Tay in mind until he succumbs to sleep.

**Yeah so sorry 'bout the long delay. Gah! My life such a mess. Between my AP exam and making plans for cotillion and softball and homework and senior night plans and tanning and college crap and just plain exhaustion I have been having trouble finding time to write. Hence the super short chapter. But hey, I introduced Xehanort (who is currently playing the role of creepy stalker in their backyard) so this story finally has a villain and therefore a conflict and therefore a freaking purpose so it wasn't all bad. **

**And then there is Ven...I went back and forth so many times about scraping that scene since I'm not going to touch that whole abuse topic for awhile. But in the end I decided to keep it as it shows how Ven is still trying to adjust to living a MEKA and how his past is always haunting him. Which is also what the next chapter is about.**

**The next chapter is...intense. A different part of Ven's past is revealed and...well... its not good. I hope you like the back story I'm giving Ven its really dark and depressing but I'm proud of it.**

**Sadly these last few chapters have had no reviews :( so maybe no one likes this story. I don't care (well maybe a little) I'm gonna keep writing like someone is actually reading this and I'm not just talking to myself. **


	10. The Nightmare

Chapter 10 _The Nightmare_

Terra wakes with a start. He sits up looking around for what had awakened him. He is sure it had been some sudden noise but he can't remember. Maybe it had just been a dream. He lies back down pulling the sheets that he had kicked into a ball at the bottom of his bed during the night back up. He closes his eyes and lets out a soft sigh hoping to quickly succumb once more to sleep, but another sound reaches his ears.

The quiet creak of a door opening and shutting makes him open his eyes once more. He can hear the padding of soft footsteps slowly making their way down the hallway past his door. Terra knows he had not been dreaming before. There had been a sound, a shout possibly, that had awoken him and he is not the only one awake.

He throws back his sheets and swings his legs off the bed. He fumbles in the dark for his socks which he always leaves on the floor and pulls them on. Without turning on a light, he gets up and quietly makes his way to the door that leads to the hallway outside. He turns the handle and opens his door with a similar creak to what he had heard while lying in bed. He creeps out of his room and shuts his door once more as quietly as possible.

Terra feels a cool breeze on his bare arms and turns wishing he had grabbed a sweatshirt to put over his thin pajama T-shirt. He instantly sees where the breeze was coming from. The glass double doors that lead to the balcony at the end of the hallway are only half closed, and, through the glass, Terra spots a flash of blond hair standing out in the dark.

"Ven?" He says quietly as he walks out onto the balcony not wanting to startle the younger boy. Ven is sitting on the floor of the balcony right up by the edge. He had put his legs under the lowest bar of the railing letting his feet dangle and leaned the rest of his body against the other bars looking through them at the stars above. If he had heard Terra he gives no indication, sitting motionless except for the cool breeze blowing his hair, messy from sleeping, around.

"Ven what are you doing out here? Its freezing," Terra asks crouching down next to him. Only then does Terra realize that Ven is not looking at the stars. His eyes are closed and tears are coming out in a steady stream creating a channel down his face and dripping off in a slow steady pattern when they reach his jaw.

Terra is shocked and confused, not sure what to do he asks, "Ven, what happened? Is it about what happened at dinner?"

Ven shakes his head slightly before tilting his head down so his chin is on his chest and his whole body shakes as he begins to sob. "It...it was horrible Terra," Ven forces out in a choked voice. "It..it was like it was happening all over again. He...he..." Ven's voice gives out and he pulls his arms around himself protectively. Terra pats him on the back in a way he hopes is comforting as a slight sound behind him makes him turn his head. Aqua is standing in the doorway rubbing her eyes as she takes in the scene in front of her.

She looks at Terra questioningly and he mouths to her, "I don't know."

Even more concerned now, she walks out onto the balcony in her own thin pajamas and slippers the same blue color as her hair. She, however, had been smart enough to throw a blanket over her shoulders before coming out and as she sits down on the other side of Ven she pulls it around herself to fight off the chill of the night.

"Ven," she says running her hand through his blond hair, "Why are you crying?"

Ven wipes his face with his hands and slowly opens his eyes. He turns to look at her and she can see that his beautiful blue eyes are bloodshot and filled with even more unshed tears. He takes a deep shuddering breath and looks once more to the stars. He speaks quietly and Terra and Aqua lean in close to hear him.

"It was so real. It was real. How could it not be? It was exactly how I remembered."

He pauses but Aqua and Terra say nothing waiting for him to be ready to explain. Aqua takes up rubbing his back as Terra had stopped and after a minute Ven tries again.

"It was a dream...a-a nightmare. But...it was more than that. It was a memory. A memory of the worst day of my life."

With another shuddering breath as he tries to still his shaking body, he continues, "We, me and Tay, were walking on the Highway back home. It was dark and we were alone. He was telling me about this girl he had met back at Ghotri. It was the same old story. She had seen him fight off the fearsome monsters, saved her town, and now she wanted to get close to the big shot hero. I don't know how many times I'd heard that story about the girl from Sheplin, or Dolic, or Spark. I don't know if it was ever true but he swore every time that it was.

That night I argued with him. We had been walking for hours and there was nothing else to do. It got to the point where I told him he was delusional. That no girl had ever let him get farther than first base. That made him even madder and he yelled that at least he could make it that far, that I had never even left the dugout. I stopped walking. When he looked back he was apologetic. He was sorry because he knew the reason I had never gotten that close to anyone was because I was afraid they would wind up hurt because of me, because of my keyblade. I still remember the exact words he said. He said, 'Don't worry about it Ven. Someday things will change. I know for a fact that you are destined for things greater than this shitty world. Just remember, when you're everyone's favorite keyblade wielder and all the girls are falling over themselves to get to you, don't forget to throw a couple of the hot ones my way, alright?' I laughed and told him I would. I said, 'That's what buds are for right?' He said, 'Hell yeah!' And then..."

Ven takes a sharp breath and closes his eyes as the memory comes back breaking open the unhealed scar and releasing a wave of pain. With a visible effort, he forces himself to keep talking.

"We hadn't noticed it. It was too dark to see very far. I wasn't paying attention. I should have been paying closer attention!"

He slams his fist onto the concrete floor on the balcony in anger. The slight pain feels good. He deserves to be in pain. He punches the ground again harder, and then harder still until Terra grabs his wrist.

Ven tries to fight him off, but Terra's grip is unyielding. The more Ven struggles, the angrier he gets. The angrier he gets, the more upset he feels. The more upset he feels, the more he cries. It doesn't take long for him to become a complete emotional wreck.

He becomes hysterical calling out, "I'm sorry Tay! I'm so sorry!" Over and over.

As he draws himself into a ball, Aqua wraps her arms and blanket around him pulling him close. "Shh, shh," she says running her fingers through his hair. He continues to cry and becomes incomprehensible in his apologizes to his dead best friend.

Terra watches his new friend suffer and can feel an ache in his own chest. He wishes he could stop Ven's sobs, but it is all he could do not to join him in the waterworks. He slides closer and wraps one arm around Ven and Aqua patting whoever's shoulder his hand is resting on. The three remain huddled together for what could have been hours or only a few minutes, but eventually Ven's sobs becomes dry and his muttered apologizes to Tay become softer and softer until they fade away. It takes longer for his body to stop shuddering, but when it does, he uncurls himself from his fetal position and Aqua and Terra pull away slightly letting him get more comfortable.

The silence stretches on as they all stare up at the stars. Then Aqua breaks it by quietly asking, "Ven, what happened to Tay?"

Terra stiffens at her question, afraid that it will send Ven over the edge again so soon after they had gotten him to calm down. His fears are unwarranted however as Ven sighs and begins to speak in a monotone voice.

"We were goofing off like idiots, like always. I should have noticed that it was coming. I should have felt it. But I was distracted, listening to Tay, and didn't notice until it was too late.

A huge heartless appeared out of the night and all I could do was scream to Tay to look out before it swept him off his feet and held him tight in it's huge hand. His eyes were wide in shock and I was frozen in place. The monster lifted him high and out of reach and I could just make out in the moonlight him struggling against its grip. I heard something crack. That broke me out of my stunned stupor. I charged forward trying to block his screams out of my ears."

Ven stops, holding his hands over his ears, and he begins to rock back and forth slightly with his eyes closed. Terra and Aqua exchange a look with each other over his head. Terra opens his mouth to say something but he holds back as Ven continues where he had left off.

"The heartless was so tall and it held Tay with one hand, but the other slammed down at me and I was just able to move out of the way. I attacked the hand with blind rage but it didn't matter how many times I sunk my keyblade into it, it gave no sign that I was doing any real damage. Then it lifted it's hand up as it straightened up to full height. It left behind a bunch of little shadows that jumped at me trying to overwhelm me with numbers but they were no more than a distraction so the bigger thing could prepare for another attack.

When I had finished off the last small heartless, I was able to turn back to the big bastard. It had fallen to its knees and, as I watched, it convulsed and it shot purple and black spheres of darkness out of it's chest. They flew like missiles at me and I used my keyblade to block each one until two came at once. I couldn't take their combines force and I fell to the ground as pain shot through my heart.

I staggered back to my feet and ran back at the heartless which was slowly getting back to its feet as well. Before it could rise up out of reach I jumped and stabbed it as high up as I could reach, just below the hole in it's chest sort of shaped like a heart. That seemed to hurt it because it roared in pain. And it began to fall to the ground. As it did so, it tossed Tay away and I saw him fly through the trees disappearing into the forest. I wanted to run after him, but the heartless was on its hands and knees and I could finally reach its head. I swung and swung and swung. I battered it's head again and again until it rose back to its feet. The fucking thing was still able to stand! I lost it. I threw my keyblade at its head and watched as it hit it in the forehead. Its head snapped back from the impact but then came back to stare down at me. The look it gave me, I was sure I was a gonner. But then it began to float up into the air and it disappeared except for a pink heart the rose out of sight."

Ven clenches his fists until his nails drew blood. Alarmed, Terra and Aqua each grab one of his hands and proceed to force him to unclench. Ven stares down at the blood on his hands without caring.

"There was so much blood. So much blood," he murmurs quietly. "I found him leaning against a tree. There was a blood trail on the leaves from him dragging himself to that spot. I tried to tell him he was going to be OK, but he wasn't stupid. God, he could be such a know it all sometimes. I tried to tell him he was going to be OK while I looked for the source of all that blood. He stopped me. He told me not to look. I tried to get him up saying we weren't that far from Ghotri. There would be a doctor there. He wouldn't get up. He...he couldn't move his legs. He...he said he would rather...die...in the peaceful forest than on the Highway."

Ven is sobbing again, but he has to finish the memory. To Terra and Aqua he is totally oblivious to their comforting words, lost behind his shining eyes looking out at the stars.

"I said no. He couldn't die he just couldn't. He reached out and touched my face. 'Don't cry Ven. Don't cry. I don't want you to cry for me.' Those words...I held back my tears. I held back my pleas for us to go for help. He was dying. I had to respect his last wishes. I leaned against him and he leaned against me. There was so much I wanted to tell him. So many things I hadn't said. But there wasn't any time. He could barely breathe...there was so much blood...but he said one last thing to me. 'Ven...when I'm gone...you will be all alone...I'm sorry...I just hope you can forgive me.' And then-and then-then,"

It is too much. Ven can't say it out loud. Its too horrible. He can't even sob anymore; he just sits motionless as tears fall from his eyes which just stare blankly at the sky.

"He was sorry. Why was he sorry? It was me, my fault. He shouldn't have...it shouldn't have been him. I dug a grave right next to that tree. It stood alone in a small clearing. When you looked up you could see the stars. God, you should have heard him talk. All the worlds out there. He wanted to see them all. The stars gave him hope. He wanted a better life for us, he thought we would leave Carinol and find happiness. Together."

Ven pauses he smiles sadly and the tears stop.

"I wish he could have lived to see this place. He would have loved it. But he died that day. Without ever getting to see the places he read of in books stolen from libraries and dreamt about each night. That spot next to the tree was perfect. I didn't leave for days after I buried him. I just sat against that tree and talked. I told him everything I hadn't said when he was alive. He had meant the world to me. He was my rock. Always strong, always smart, always knew the right thing to say. He had made life bearable. I slept alone for the first time in a long time. It was cold without him. I missed his snores, the way he frowned in his sleep. He used to talk in his sleep. What I wouldn't give to hear him murmur my name in one of his vivid dreams again.

I honored his last wish. I didn't cry. The whole time I stayed next to the mound of soil that hid him from me, I didn't cry.

I woke up one morning and knew it was time to leave. I didn't want to go, but I didn't want to stay either. I said my last goodbyes. I was about to leave but I stopped myself. Turning back I said the one thing I had always been too afraid to say to him. And now it was too late. 'I love you Tay.' I loved him more than anything else in the world. He was my world. I loved his smile, his laugh, the way he put his arm around my shoulder when we walked. I knew he loved me, but not in the same way. As I walked back through the trees, back to the Highway. It had been a mistake to love him, to let him stay close to me. I vowed to myself never to get that close to anyone else. They would just get hurt. I couldn't go through that again. Being lonely was better than being heartbroken."

Ven is finally finished. Never before had he poured his soul out like that about Tay. But then again, never had he felt so safe to do so as he feels sitting in between Terra and Aqua. "He really meant alot to you didn't he?" Aqua says softly running her hand through his spiky hair once more. Ven nods not sure how his new friends would react to him confessing his love for Tay. He had seen the men who loved other men over women meeting in secret in the back alleys of the cities of Carinol. Everyone had shunned them like they had a disease.

"Is it...weird...for me to have felt that way about him?" Ven asks anxiously.

"There's nothing weird about loving someone Ven," Terra says supportively. "Love is love. There are no rules." Saying this, he looks over Ven at Aqua who is deliberately not meeting his gaze.

"Don't ever feel like you have to hold back with us," Aqua says to Ven. "You can tell us anything. Don't hide parts of yourself from us. We're your friends and friends stick together through thick and thin."

Ven sighs feeling like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders that night. Terra stands with a big yawn. "Ven, do you think you can go back to sleep now?"

Ven looks up at the stars. "You two can go back to bed. I'll be in in a minute."

With one last quick squeeze Aqua stands and drapes her blanket around Ven's shoulders before walking through the balcony door held open by Terra. He follows her out and closes the door behind him. But not all the way. He doesn't feel comfortable leaving Ven all alone after some of the things he had said and done during their midnight conversation. He stands to the side and watches silently as Ven speaks out loud to the quiet night.

"Tay, I miss you. I just wanted you to know that I'm happy. I'm safe. And I forgive you. For what it's worth I never blamed you. Your death wasn't your fault or mine or anyone's really." Ven pauses and Terra almost turns to go seeing that Ven isn't in the self destructive state he had been concerned about. But before he can take a step towards his room, Terra stops hearing Ven speak again. "I'd like to think you felt the same way as me, but I don't think you did. I fell in love with you that first day the heartless came after my keyblade and everyone ran away. Everyone except you. Maybe you did love me. Was I your best friend, your brother, or your crush to you? I don't know. But it doesn't matter. I loved you when you were with me and I love you even now that you are gone. And you will remain in my heart forever. But I can't go on like this. I have to let go of the past. I have new friends and a new home and a new life. Ever since you died I've been stuck going through the motions of living without really trying, but I'm done feeling that way. I'm going to live for the two of us."

Ven rises to his feet as Terra slips down the hallway. He shuts his door quietly and listens as Ven's light footsteps make their way past his door. Terra crawls back into bed with a sigh. The events of the night had been trying to say the least and he tries to push it all out of his head. The next morning would be better for thinking. So he rolls over onto his stomach and lets himself succumb to sleep.

* * *

**Awwwwwwwww! Vennnnnn! This chapter was soooo sad :( **

**So yeah Ven is gay... hope nobody is mad about that. I did say this story had some yaoi in it in the summary. And anyone out there who hates pairings with OCs don't panic, Ven's main pairing is with a real KH character who you probably won't guess. But his love life will be complicated...and that's all I'll say for now! I don't want to give away any surprises. **

**Mexi: I want to get to Vanitas too! But I have to save him for later. :( He will be in this story eventually.**

**How 'bout this! If you have a guess at who Ven's boyfriend is going to be write it in a review. If someone gets it right they will get...uhhhh...a virtual high five? **

**Ok so not the best prize but guess anyways!**


	11. Love is a Four Letter Word

Chapter 11 _Love is a Four Letter Word_

"What do you make of it Master Eraqus?" Aqua asks her teacher.

Master Eraqus leans back in his chair sipping his coffee slowly. His two older students had just relived the events of the night before which he had evidently slept through. He collects his thoughts and speaks carefully to his patient apprentices respectively waiting for his conclusions.

"It seems to me that Ventus is finally opening up to us," Master Eraqus says. "He finally feels safe enough here to let his guard down. This boy Tay who died was so special to him that it isn't surprising that his death affected him so much. It must be one of the sources of Ventus' anger." Master Eraqus pauses as a new thought comes to mind. "I do not think Tay was the one who would hurt Ventus, did the two of you get a different impression?"

Terra and Aqua both shake their heads. Terra says, "From what Ven said, Tay cared about him a lot. I don't think Tay was the one."

"He wasn't."

Ven walks into the kitchen making the other three jump. They stare at Ven waiting for him to elaborate, but he just ignores them going to the pantry and coming back with a box of Lucky Charms. In the silence, he makes himself a heaping bowl of cereal and sits next to Terra digging in right away. The silence stretches on until Ven is just swirling the final soggy dreds of his breakfast around in his bowl.

"His name is Keric."

"The one who used to hurt you?" Master Eraqus asks softly. Ven nods.

"You said his name before," Aqua says her brow furrowed as she tries to remember. "Didn't you say he's a prince?"

Again Ven nods. "He's a lot of things."

"What do you mean by that?" Terra asks.

"Nothing," Ven says. "It doesn't matter. He's back on Carinol and I'm here. What happened is in the past and I just want to forget it all."

Terra throws his arm around Ven's shoulder. "Yeah, like I said, this is a whole new chapter for you. Leave all your old fears behind because I swear that Keric guy will never hurt you again as long as I'm around."

"Thanks Terra," Ven says with a small smile.

Aqua stands and picks up Ven's empty bowl taking it to the sink. When she returns Master Eraqus changes the topic saying, "For lessons today, Terra, Aqua I want you two to go for an endurance run."

Both Terra and Aqua groan and make a face. Master Eraqus chooses to ignore this and continues, "Run the trail to the waterfall and back."

"What about me?" Ven asks.

"I am going to teach you how to summon your keyblade glider," Master Eraqus tells him and watches with amusement as the young boy's face splits into a wide grin.

"Really? That's awesome! Let's go!" He scrambles to his feet and runs out of the kitchen. Laughing the others follow in his eager footsteps as he races ahead of them.

"I guess he really is changing," Terra says with a smile. Aqua's smile fades into a look of deep thought. "What's up?" Terra asks her.

"Its just...I don't want to push him, but there is still a lot he isn't telling us," Aqua replies.

"Give him time Aqua," Master Eraqus says. "For now, let him be the happy kid he always should have been."

Aqua nods thoughtfully as they walk out the front doors and descend the steps meeting Ven and his huge grin at the bottom. "Alright," Master Eraqus says with a suppressed smile. "You two best be off." He claps both Terra and Aqua on the shoulder and, after exchanging a grimace, they start their run heading down the steps and in the direction of the woods beyond the mountains. Master Eraqus looks away as they disappear around a corner and finds himself face to face with Ven who is nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. His eagerness to learn is infectious and the older man is happy to begin.

"Summoning a keyblade glider is easy enough if you focus," Master Eraqus says summoning his keyblade. "Just imagine the feeling of flying as you toss your keyblade. If you can focus on those feelings and only those feelings, then you will be able to transform your keyblade." Master Eraqus pauses for a moment deep in thought and then tosses his keyblade high and as it arcs around it transforms in a flash into a glider similar to Terra's but pure silver in color.

Master Eraqus gestures for Ven to try and Ven pushes all thoughts out of his head except for the memory of flying on the back of Terra's glider. He can picture the ground disappearing far below and remembers his stomach lurching at the change in altitude. Determined and hopeful, he throws his keyblade high and watches expectantly as it curves through its arc. But nothing happens. It crashes down skidding on the stones still stuck in its keyblade form. Disappointed, Ven's shoulders sag.

"Neither Terra nor Aqua got it on their first try," Master Eraqus says encouragingly. "Try again. Learn from the mistakes you made on your first attempt."

Ven summons his keyblade back into his hand and winds up to throw it once more. He sets his thoughts on leaving Carinol on the back of a glider and the feeling of freedom it gave him. With a deft movement he tosses his keyblade once more and once more it returns in the same state it left. Getting frustrated, Ven frowns angrily and tries again. Again he fails and the good mood he had from before has disappeared.

"Only thoughts of flying," Master Eraqus reminds him. "Get rid of all other distractions."

Blowing out a deep sigh of anger, Ven takes a moment to refocus. He goes back to sitting on Terra's glider. He can see the land rising away and feel Terra's hard armor poking him. Without opening his eyes he tosses his keyblade as high as he can. As it leaves his hand, he slowly opens his eyes to see it rise into an arc, and then fall without change for the fourth time. "What the hell am I doing wrong?" Ven asks now extremely annoyed.

Master Eraqus replies in a patient voice, "You must think only about-"

"I know, I know," Ven says cutting him off. "Think about flying. I got it."

Returning his keyblade to his hand once more, Ven concentrates hard to make another attempt. Terra's glider. Rising higher. Freedom. Escape. Flying. Opening his eyes, Ven winds up to throw his keyblade. A sudden breeze blows pulling at his t shirt and whistling in his ears. As he throws his keyblade, he realizes his thoughts have strayed as he could only think about the tendrils if wind dragging through his hair and swirling on his skin. It is too late from him to focus once more on his memory and he shrugs knowing he will just have to try again. But something amazing happens.

His keyblade reaches the highest point of its arc, but instead of falling back to the ground it disappears in a flash. Floating down to him instead is, a skateboard! "Oh hell yeah!" Ven exclaims happily. Rushing forward to examine his glider that looks so much different than the ones the others had. He quickly walks around the floating board with his mouth gaping. It is black with just a few accents of gold. Two wings stick out of the platform he would stand on to keep it balanced during flight and there is a pulsing green light on the end. With a whoop of excitement, Ven jumps onto to his new glider with a grin. It sways slightly under his weight. "Woah!" He shouts waving his arms to regain his balance and keep from toppling over.

"Ventus wait! You don't know how to-"

Ven pays no heed to Master Eraqus' words and instead shoots away on his glider. Or rather the glider shoots away and he falls on his butt, knocked off by its sudden speed. "Ow..." Ven says getting to his feet and wincing as he rubs his sore backside. Master Eraqus walks up next to him looking down with exasperation.

"Ventus, that was foolish," Master Eraqus says sternly. "You could have severely hurt yourself. You must always think before you act or you will end up in situations you are unprepared for."

Ven opens his mouth to reply, but realizes Master Eraqus is right. He hangs his head and says quietly, "I'm sorry. You are right. I shouldn't have been quick to try it."

Out of the corner of his eye Ven sees a movement and he raised his head to see Master Eraqus offering him a hand which Ven takes after a half second pause. Master Eraqus pulls him to his feet and smiles slightly at Ven. "It is quite alright. Now Ventus listen carefully. When riding your keyblade it is important to keep your mind focused. Don't get distracted or you might fall. Now bring your glider back over. I want you to stand on it but don't go anywhere. Just hover and practice balancing..."

...

"Aqua can we just stop and talk for a moment?"

"Master Eraqus will know if we stop running," Aqua replies not slowing as she glances over at Terra running to her right and half a step behind her.

"So what? He only sent us on this stupid run to keep us busy and out of his hair while he taught Ven," Terra says.

"Training is training Terra," Aqua says. "Master Eraqus was clear in his instructions and we must do what he asks."

"'Cause rules are rules," Terra mumbles under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

They continue to run without speaking. Terra periodically glances over at Aqua, but her eyes never waver from the path ahead of her. Sighing, Terra loses himself in his thoughts and doesn't notice the tree root on the side of the path until it catches on his foot. He crashes down landing hard on his hip and hissing as he grazes his knuckles on a sharp rock.

"Terra!" Aqua immediately comes to his side and helps him sit up ignoring the bright red blush of embarrassment that had crept onto his cheeks. "Are you alright?" She asks as she catches sight of his scratched hand. "Cure." A soft green light falls on Terra's hand and the cuts heal before their eyes.

"Thanks," Terra mumbles slowly getting to his feet. He avoids Aqua's eyes so she won't see his wounded pride.

"Oh my god!" He looks up startled to see Aqua looking at him incredulously. "You did that on purpose!" She shouts giving him a light shove.

"What?"

"You did didn't you! You just wanted to make us stop," Aqua frowns. "And here I was worried about you."

"Oh, yeah," Terra says rubbing the back of his head. "Did that on purpose." He tries to ignore the pulsating pain on his hip where he could feel a bruise forming knowing that now Aqua would give him no sympathy. He steels himself. Now's his chance. "Hey Aqua, since we've stopped already, can we talk?"

Aqua turns away from him, but replies, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I just...want you to know I haven't changed my mind," Terra says

Aqua turns slightly. "About what?"

"I'm going to keep waiting, no matter how long it takes," he says. "I can wait forever. I love you."

Aqua turns around completely facing him once more. She opens her mouth only to snap it shut again. Without another word, she looks away and sprints off down the path towards the castle. "Aqua wait!"

He chases her all the way back to the gardens. He catches hold of her hand as she runs down the mountain path towards the gold training rings below. "Aqua..." She doesn't pull her hand away but she doesn't turn her head either. She just stands completely still and Terra is suddenly at a loss for words.

"Terra...I thought I made it clear. I can't do this," Aqua says through gritted teeth. "You can't say things like that its...its..."

"The truth," Terra says in a serious voice.

Aqua pulls her hand out of his and turns to face him. Before she can speak he continues. "Can you say that this isn't what you want? That you don't have feelings for me?"

"Terra, of course I have feelings for you, but-"

Terra takes a step closer and her breath catches in her throat. "Are you going to stop me?" He asks her and slowly moves in closer. He is a foot away. Now six inches. Now his lips are just a couple inches from his. His arms are around her, but hers are at her sides. Two inches. Only a two inch gap separates their lips all she has to do is close the gap. She has to think! This is crazy! But her mind is blank. Closer, closer.

"Woah!"

Terra and Aqua jump away from each other each instantly turning a bright shade of red. With heart hammering, they look around for the shout that had startled them, but see nothing.

"Holy shit!"

This time they both look up to see Ven on what must be his new glider. He comes around the side of the mountain wobbling slightly with his arms stretched out for balance. Looking down he spots them craning their necks up at him. "Hey guys! Check it out!" Ven shouts before diving straight down at them. At the last second he pulls up flying just close enough to their heads to make them both duck. Cackling, Ven turns around on his glider and sticks his tongue out at him as he flies back towards where Master Eraqus is.

"Oh god, do you think he saw us," Aqua asks fearfully.

"Nah he didn't," Terra says taking a step towards her. "Not that there was anything to see. We haven't done anything yet." She is still staring off at where Ven had disappeared around the mountain side again. He slowly returns to the position he had been in before and makes her jump slightly when he puts his hands around her again. "Now where were we..."

"St-stop Terra," Aqua stamers turning away. He freezes for a moment before letting his arms drop. She takes a step away and sneaks a look at him. Terra looks sad and a little hurt and she immediately wants nothing more than to jump into his arms and kiss his frown away. But she can't. Aqua always follows the rules and does what is right no matter what her own personal feelings were, and getting involved with Terra is definitely wrong. But, why does he have to be so handsome?! He really isn't making this easy for her. "I'm sorry Terra," she says softly and she really is. "But we have a job to do and I don't think we can be the best keyblade masters if we are in a relationship that is more than friends."

"I think we can," Terra says.

"But how could we focus on the worlds if we were focused on each other."

"C'mon, we can focus on more than one thing at a time."

"But what if we fight? How would be able to keep working together?"

"We fight already Aqua."

"But...it will be different."

"So that's what it is," Terra says looking at her strangely.

"What is what?" Aqua asks confused.

"You're afraid of changing how things are between us now," Terra says and her eyes widen in surprise knowing what he is saying is true. "All your logical reasoning is just to hide that you are just plain scared."

"I'm not scared!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Terra begins to laugh and after a moment Aqua joins in. They laugh at the tension in the air more than anything and a minute later they are both grinning at each other all the uncomfortableness that always hangs around discussions of feelings is gone.

"Alright Aqua, you're not scared," Terra says in surrender although his tone suggests he isn't convinced.

"And don't you forget it," Aqua says poking him hard in the chest in emphasis.

Terra glances in the direction of the castle. "C'mon we should get back. This is probably our worst time in years. Master Eraqus is going to want an explanation for what kept us."

"At least we can blame it on that stupid fall of yours in the forest," Aqua says as they walk at a brisk pace.

"Haha yeah..." Terra says rubbing the back of his head. "Forgot about that."

They continue to walk in silence neither knowing what to say. Soon they come around the mountain and the castle comes into view. Out front, Ven is still cruising around on his glider while Master Eraqus looks on occasionally shouting out instructions that are unintelligible to Terra and Aqua at this distance. Terra grabs Aqua's arm and pulls her to a stop. She stops, but jerks her arm away shooting a worried glance in Master Eraqus' direction. "Aqua I have one last thing I have to say," Terra says and, a little apprehensive, Aqua gestures for him to continue. "I'm not saying that you are scared, but you don't need to worry. If things were to ever change, the fact that we are best friends, that we are a team, that we always have each other's back, will never change. Ever."

"I-I...thank you," Aqua says. She doesn't wait for him to respond and runs up the last steps that lead to the castle. Terra follows half a second behind. Master Eraqus takes his eyes off Ven to look over as the two of them approach. They stop next to him and he gives them both a frown.

"You two have been out longer than normal, did something happen?"

"Oh...well..." Aqua is at a loss for words still trying to wrap her mind around what Terra had just said to her.

"I took a nasty fall Master," Terra jumps in. "I wasn't watching where I was going and tripped over a tree root."

Master Eraqus nods accepting this excuse. "Well I hoped you learned from your mistake."

"Yes Master."

"Good," Master Eraqus says. Then addressing them both, "I might as well tell you now, tomorrow we are going to visit Master Yen Sid so he can meet Ventus and we can meet his new apprentice."

"Master Yen Sid has a new-" Terra is cut off by Ven's shout from above.

"I get to see another world!"

Ven's excitement unfortunately causes him to forget that he is on his glider. He takes half a step forward and loses his balance on the board. He teeters on the edge. "Wah...ah...oh...woah!" He windmills his arms trying to regain his balance, but he can't. With a final shout of surprise, he falls ten feet through the air before landing right on top of Terra knocking the older boy to the ground.

"Uhh..." Ven groans trying to get up as Terra struggles to sit up underneath him.

"Get off Ven," Terra grumbles pushing Ven off him.

"Oh fuck, sorry Terra," Ven apologizes as he straightens up.

"Ventus!" Master Eraqus face has darkened. "How many times have I told you not to use that word?" Ven just shrugs in response reaching down to help Terra to his feet. Master Eraqus pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a calming breath. "Ventus, you could have hurt yourself. You must focus on what you are doing when you are using your glider. It's just lucky that this time Terra was there to break your fall."

"Oh yeah. Lucky," Terra mumbles rubbing his hip that he had been sore from his fall in the woods and is now hurting worse.

Choosing to ignore Terra's comment, Master Eraqus continues, "If you want to be allowed to visit other worlds Ventus you must not be so easily distracted or you will end up in bad situations. Do you understand?"

"Yes Master Eraqus," Ven says putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. "Sorry again Terra." Terra reaches down and messes up Ven's hair.

"It's ok kid."

"As I was saying," Master Eraqus says. "We will leave tomorrow for the Mysterious Tower. Master Yen Sid's new apprentice is named Mickey and he is curious to meet you three so be on your best behavior." Master Eraqus' last statement seemed to be directed at only Ven. "I'll leave the three of you to continue training. Terra, Aqua, help Ven master his glider and don't let him hurt himself."

Leaving his apprentices, Master Eraqus walks back to the castle to send Yen Sid a letter confirming that they will be there the next day. Behind him he can hear Ven's indignant shouts at something the others had said and the subsequent laughs of all three. He smiles, happy that Ven has finally settled into his new home.

…

High up and in the shadows, Xehanort watches with a smirk as the three keyblade apprentices chase each other around on their gliders. He had witnessed an interesting moment between the two older ones. A weakness he could exploit. With smirk he closed his eyes and melted away into the shadows behind him.

* * *

**Stop it Xehanort you are sooo creepy! Spying on Terra and Aqua's almost kiss. Too bad Ven being Ven messed it up. **

**Oh well still love ya Ven!**

**Next up is the Mysterious Tower and Mickey. Does Master Yen Sid have any insight into Ven's past and his importance? ...Maaaaybe :)**

**Fun Fact: My softball varsity team beat our rival for the first time in 11 years! Take that bitches! Playoffs here we come!**


	12. Ventus

Chapter 12 _Ventus_

"Here you go kid," Terra says catching Ven's attention. He hands him the extra helmet he keeps in the hidden compartment under the seat of his glider. Ven takes it with a small nod of thanks and returns to staring off into the bright blue sky lost in thought. Terra regards him for a second then, "Earth to Ven!"

Ven jumps slightly at the loud call in his ear and turns to glare at Terra. Terra smirks at him and asks, "What's got you spacing out so much this morning? I would have thought you'd be excited to go see another world."

"I'm excited," Ven says but he lacks any real enthusiasm in his voice. Terra just stares at him with his eyebrows raised. "What?" Ven snaps at him. Terra doesn't respond. "Fine," Ven says playing with the helmet in his hands. "But you won't believe me." Terra gestures for him to continue. With a sigh Ven says, "I'm distracted 'cause last night I couldn't sleep. I felt like I was being watched and I couldn't shake the feeling. Once I even thought I saw yellow eyes in the corner of my room, but when I turned my head there was nothing there."

"I'm sure it was just your mind playing tricks on you," Terra says. "It happens to all of us when we are afraid. Suddenly it seems like there are monsters in every corner."

Ven hangs his head feeling ashamed for being scared so easily by something that was just a figment of his imagination. Terra walks over reaching down to place a hand on Ven's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," he says comfortingly. "There is nothing to worry about. No heartless can get to this world. It's protected by old magic."

"Are you guys ready to go?" Aqua calls as she hurries down the steps from the castle to them. Master Eraqus trails behind her walking at a more dignified pace.

"Yeah I can't wait!" Ven shouts back with a huge smile on his face.

Terra straightens up raising his hand to run it through his hair as he wonders at how fast Ven can switch moods.

"If all of you are ready, we can depart now," Master Eraqus says summoning his keyblade. His apprentices follow suit and they each toss the keyblades is similar arcs (Ven's doesn't go quite as high as the others) and four keyblade gliders come back hovering next to their respective owners. Ven watches as Terra and Aqua simultaneously slap their own small sleeve of armor and their armor appears in a flash of light. Master Eraqus does the same with a golden sleeve of armor that he doesn't always wear.

Feeling a little left out, Ven dons his borrowed helmet saying, "Why don't I get any flashy armor?"

Master Eraqus' masked head turns towards him. "I have already spoken to Master Yen Sid and he has made arrangements for you to receive your armor today."

Perking up right away, Ven happily jumps aboard his skateboard like glider as the others mount their own gliders. Master Eraqus takes the lead, taking off first. Aqua points to Ven to indicate he should go next and she and Terra follow after.

…

Master Eraqus lands lightly dismissing his armor and glider simultaneously. Terra and Aqua touch down beside him doing the same. Ven however is enthralled by the crooked tower rising up from the tiny patch of earth that is all this world is. He circles the spires of the tower trying to peer through the windows as they flash past him.

"Ventus! Get back here!" Master Eraqus shouts up to him and after a final circle of the tower Ven complies letting his glider disappear while he was still off the ground. He drops the final four feet and lands lightly. With a grin he removes his helmet and hands it to Terra who makes it disappear like his glider.

"This place is sick," Ven says spinning back to look up at the tall tower.

Laughing, Aqua walks past him with Master Eraqus as they head for the front doors. "C'mon," Terra says giving Ven a light smack to the back of his head to bring his attention back to them. Rubbing the back of his head with pout, Ven runs after the others catching up just as they reach the doors. With his curiosity fit to bursting, Ven walks through the doors wondering what incredible magic lurks within the tower.

…

"I...hate...these...fucking stairs," Ven says breathlessly as they reach yet another empty landing.

"Language Ventus," Master Eraqus says without even glancing back. "Only one more flight to the top."

As Master Eraqus continues to the door on the other side of the empty room Ven drifts farther behind the others muttering darkly to himself.

"What did you expect Ven? You saw how tall the tower was," Terra calls over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but I thought there would be some cool magic stuff in here," Ven whines. "It's just empty and quiet." He goes through the door and groans looking up at the stairs that seem to rise endlessly up. He trudges up slowly letting the others pull farther and farther ahead of him until he is alone. "Could've just flown through a window at the top," he mutters to himself. "What son of bitch thought to even build a tower if all it has in it are stairs? Couldn't it've just been a single story?"

Ven, lost in his own thoughts, didn't see that he had reached the top. He stumbles in surprise at the lack of another step and his mistake must have made him look like an idiot because he hears Terra snort in amusement. Looking around for Terra to give him a death stare, Ven's eyes instead fall on the two strangers in the room who are both looking at him with interest.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus says in a tight voice obviously not happy with Ven's less than stellar entrance. "This is Master Yen Sid and his apprentice Mickey."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Ven says with a polite inclination of his head. He might as well try to salvage what he can from the first impression he is making. The seated old man with the long grey beard and a pointy hat that is, in Ven's opinion, extremely ridiculous inclines his head in response not saying a word but his eyes stare piercingly into Ven's. Slightly uncomfortable, Ven looks away and his eyes fall on the short apprentice standing beside his master. He can only see Mickey's head behind the large desk and stares with his mouth agape. Without thinking Ven blurts out, "Holy crap! You're a mouse!"

Terra hides a laugh by turning it into a cough. He glances over at Aqua and Master Eraqus who share identical expressions of horror at Ven's lack of manners. Master Eraqus sputters unable to string together the words to chastise Ven for his rudeness. And Ven, to give him some credit, at once realizes his mistake and immediately tries to backtrack.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like...it's just...I've never seen...I'm sorry," he says looking down his shoes.

"Aw it's alright," Mickey says and Ven looks up sheepishly to see the mouse smiling kindly at him. "It's nice to meet cha Ventus. I'm Mickey, Mickey Mouse."

"It's nice to meet you too Mickey," Ven says still staring in wonder at the mouse. "I'm sorry about before, but I've never seen anyone who..." He trails off worried about offending Mickey any further.

But Mickey just laughs. "You'll have to come to my world someday, there's lots of talking animals for you to meet!"

"Thats incredible," Ven says. "What world are you from?"

"Why Disney Castle," Mickey says a little wistfully. "It's beautiful. Gosh I haven't been there in a long time. I wonder how Donald and Goofy are doing, and Minnie!" Mickey pauses with a small smile. "Oh and what about you? What world are you from?"

Ven opens his mouth to reply, but before he can Terra takes a step forward saying, "Master Yen Sid, I know Ven is very excited to get his armor. Do you have it?"

"Yes," Master Yen Sid says in a slow monotone voice, "Indeed I do. The fairies left it in the adjoining room." He gestures to the door leading off of the study. "You will find that it fits you perfectly."

"C'mon Ven," Aqua says leading him over to the door. "I'll help you find it." She opens it letting Ven walk through first and follows closing it behind her. Before she closes it completely she shoots Terra a look that says she expects him to take care of the situation.

As soon as the door closes Terra beats Master Eraqus by saying to Mickey and Master Yen Sid, "Ven is from Carinol. Don't ask him about his past it just makes him upset."

"Gosh," Mickey says his forehead creasing in a frown. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"I don't think you did your majesty," Master Eraqus says. "But we are trying to be very careful around him."

"Wait," Terra says confused. "Your majesty?"

"Yes Terra," Master Eraqus says. "This is King Mickey of Disney Castle."

"Oh I'm sorry your majesty. I didn't know," Terra says bowing slightly.

"Oh shucks, you don't need to do that," Mickey says. "We are both keyblade wielders. I want us to be equals, and friends!"

"Alright Mickey," Terra says smiling down at the humble king.

The door to the adjoining room opens and the four guys look up to see Aqua come back through followed by Ven who is wearing the biggest smile. His shoulder bears a small sleeve of armor not quite as bulky as Terra's. Just below his shirt, a piece of armor is just visible. "Thank you Master Yen Sid," he says respectfully. "I really like the armor."

"I will be sure to pass on your appreciation to the fairies who created it," Master Yen Sid replied. "Come here Ventus."

Nervous, Ven walks over to stand in front of the large desk. Master Yen Sid stares frowning slightly at him while Ven does his best not to fidget under his gaze. After a minute, Master Yen Sid closes his eyes. "Hmmm," he murmurs. He opens his eyes to stare at Ven once more. "A balanced heart like none seen before. An internal battle for an external power. A power never meant to exist."

"Ummm..." Ven says glancing around for clues from the others as to what the old man is talking about, but the other apprentices look as confused as he feels. Master Eraqus however, took a step forward with a frown of unease.

"Are you sure?" Master Eraqus asks his tone a little worried.

Master Yen Sid nods slightly then turns back to Ven who is growing frustrated at being kept in the dark. "What are you talking about?"

"Your coming has been foretold in the stars Ventus," Master Yen Sid explains cryptically. "You will bring a change to the worlds, but whether that change is good or evil is still a mystery even to me."

A silence settles over the room as others take in the full impact of Master Yen Sid's words. Master Eraqus is the first to break it saying firmly, "Terra, Aqua, return to MEKA with Ventus and continue training until I return."

"But what about-" Ven tries to protest, but Master Eraqus stops him.

"Now Ventus."

Seeing that Ven is about to argue Aqua hastily steps in. "May we go to Olympus instead and train there?"

Master Eraqus considers her suggestion and nods in agreement. "You may," he says, "Just be home by dinner."

"But I don't get-"

"C'mon Ven," Terra says quietly in his ear. "Do what the master says." Terra then turns to bow slightly to Master Yen Sid. "Master Yen Sid, King Mickey it was very nice to see you." Aqua bows as well.

Ven's eyes shoot wide open. "What!? _King_ Mickey? You're royalty?"

Mickey nods bashfully and Ven stammers once more. "Your Majesty! Oh damn! I'm so sorry! I didn't know."

"That's alright Ven," Mickey says waving away Ven's apology. "Just call me Mickey."

"Ok, Mickey. Got it," Ven says and follows Aqua and Terra back down the stairs without complaint.

Master Eraqus meets Master Yen Sid's eye and slowly walks over to the door that his apprentices had just gone through. As he shuts it, Master Eraqus can just hear Terra saying, "Stop it Ven! I'm not carrying you down the freaking stairs."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Master Eraqus closes the door and turns back to face the room. Master Yen Sid has risen from his chair and approaches the windows. Mickey looks with curiously between his master and Master Eraqus.

"Yen Sid," Master Eraqus says and after a pause Master Yen Sid turns towards him. "Should we talk in private?"

Master Yen Sid shakes his head and gestures to his apprentice. "Mickey may stay. He is already aware of much which we must discuss." Master Yen Sid turns back to the windows and clasps his hands behind his back. "To understand the present we must delve into the past. It has been centuries since the great keyblade war. The darkest moment in our history that has made keyblade wielders the enemy in minds of many. Most of us have tried to erase it from the past, but there is one who has taken great interest in it. I take it you know who I am speaking of."

Master Eraqus nods slowly running a single finger down a scar on the side of his face. "Xehanort," he says with venom in his voice. "Yen Sid are you telling me that the one I once called my brother has returned from the dark realm we banished him to?"

"His star is once more in the sky," Master Yen Sid says raising his eyes to the sky above. "We may have banished him nearly ten years ago, but he has found his way back. It is his plans that worry me greatly. He was always obsessed with finding power and he knew more about the keyblade war than any of us. Do you remember, before we banished him, Xehanort was making plans?"

"The x-blade," Master Eraqus says remembering. "He was looking for a way to recreate it. Do you think he has returned because he has found a way?"

Master Yen Sid doesn't reply instead he lowers his head slightly to look down at the ground far below. Master Eraqus and Mickey both walk to his side and look down as well. From their height, they can see Aqua, Terrra, and Ven walking out the front doors. Ven runs onto the grass and turns motioning for the other two to hurry up. He then smacks his armor guard and his brand new armor appears. He runs back over to Terra and Aqua to show them and after a moment he steps back letting them summon their armor as well. The trio then turn their keyblades into gliders and fly off into the sky together.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus breathes out realization hitting him hard.

"Yes," Master Yen Sid says sadly. "If neither you nor I passed the power to Ven that only leaves Xehanort."

"But, how?" Master Eraqus says trying to deny it. "He has been in the realm of darkness for years and Ventus doesn't even remember the inheritance ceremony."

"Eraqus, Xehanort must have passed on the power to Ventus before we were able to banish him. It is why he never claimed Ventus as his apprentice."

Master Eraqus walks away from them for a moment to take this all in before turning back his face set in a hard frown. "I must protect him from Xehanort. What exactly is it that Xehanort wants with him? He is just a boy."

"His heart, half light and half dark," Master Yen Sid says. "A rarity I'm not sure I have ever seen before. Xehanort must see him as a means to create the x-blade."

"Half light and half dark?" Master Eraqus says. "But the x-blade is 7 parts light and 13 parts darkness."

"Indeed," Master Yen Sid says. "If Xehanort is able to tip Ventus' heart in slightly in favor of the darkness, all will be lost, the keyblade will be formed. Eraqus you know as well as I do that we cannot let that happen. Ventus must be protected from Xehanort and all darkness."

Master Eraqus nods in agreement. "I do not think I will be able to keep him at MEKA; his spirit is too strong. I will make sure either I or Terra or Aqua is with him on all missions. He must be watched closely. But what are we going to do about Xehanort?"

Master Yen Sid closes his eyes. "I have yet to locate him. His magic is strong and crafty. Mickey and I will focus on locating him." Mickey looks up at his master and then back at Master Eraqus. He gives him a big optimistic smile.

Master Eraqus nods again and rubs his hand over his face with a sigh. Ventus may have too much attitude and not enough manners, he may push Master Eraqus' patience to the limit, but Master Eraqus loves him as much as he loves Terra and Aqua. They are all like his own children to him and no one, especially someone like Xehanort, is going to hurt any of them.

* * *

**Hope that all makes sense! If it doesn't let me know.**

**Any tips for writing how Mickey talks? I kinda struggled with his lines in this chapter.**

**Mexi: I love how you guessed like every male character! Sorry to say it isn't any of those. I know you really wanted it to be Vanitas (and I LOVE the VenVan pairing) but he's not the one. (But he will make a few passes at Ven!)**

**I hope nobody hates me when I reveal who Ven is going to be paired with. It's kinda OOC but he is a minor character in the series so I'm taking creative license to tweak his personality a little and make him more of a main character in this story. I seriously searched this site for this pairing and found exactly 1 story that has it. (I'm not kidding.) So yeah really unconventional, but hey being different is awesome!**


	13. I'm Zack, Zack Fair

Chapter 13 "_I'm Zack, Zack Fair"_

As they speed past world after world, Ven maneuvers his glider so he is beside Aqua. "So what's this world we are going to again?" He has to shout slightly to be heard while they fly.

"It's called Olympus Coliseum," Aqua replies pointing towards a large world with an ancient aura to it that has just appeared far ahead of them. "A famous trainer named Phil lives there. Master Eraqus brought Terra and I here a few times for a different style of teaching."

"So this Phil guy teaches differently than Master Eraqus?" Ven asks.

"Yep," Terra says sliding his glider next to them. "But don't slack off Ven, Phil pushes hard."

…

They land outside the coliseum and as Ven dismisses his armor he turns on the spot to take in his new surroundings. Huge statues of warriors are the most noticeable feature towering over a large set of double doors that seem to lead inside the coliseum. On the other side of the walled in area is another pair of double doors, these are open and Ven can see a busy city beyond them. Next to these doors are large boards covered in lists of names and scores. In front of the board to the right of the doors is a short uhh...

"Terra what is he?" Ven asks in wonder.

"A satyr," Terra says quietly walking forward towards him. "Half-man, half-goat." He clarifies seeing the confused expression on Ven's face.

"Oh," Ven says and the satyr pauses in his cleaning of the messy boards.

"Hey kid, I told ya, 100 reps," the satyr says without turning. "Don't tell me you finished already. Ya better get to it or I'll tack on a hundred more."

"Uh Phil," Aqua says but the satyr doesn't seem to notice.

"If ya wanna be a hero you're gonna have to buckle down and get to work. No more of this feet dragging."

"Phil," Terra says starting to laugh.

"What do ya want Herc? Can't you see I'm-" The satyr stops mid sentence as he turns around seeing Terra, Aqua, and Ven for the first time.

"Terra, Aqua baby!" He says surprised and happy. "Long time no see. Man you two have really grown. I remember when I used to be taller than ya both."

"Really? They must have been really young," Ven says looking critically at the short satyr.

"And what do you mean by that buddy," the satyr growls advancing on Ven threateningly. Ven backs up realizing for the second time today he has immediately offended a stranger by not thinking before he spoke. He really needs to get better at these first impressions.

"I...uh...well...uh," Ven mumbles nervously. The portly satyr may be short, but the hard glint in his eye warns Ven that he isn't a pushover.

"Who is this pipsqueak anyways?" The satyr asks turning to Terra and Aqua who are doing their best to hide their smiles. "Is he with you?"

"Yes," Aqua says in a pleasant voice trying to calm the hotheaded satyr. "This is Ventus. He just joined us a MEKA. Ven, this is Phil, the trainer we told you about."

"Oh, Phil," Ven says apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were the famous trainer Terra and Aqua were talking about."

"Hmph," Phil says frowning in Ven's direction. "I'll let it slide this time. But next time I'll have you eating dirt. Capisce?"

Ven nods quickly and Phil simmers down. Turning back to Terra and Aqua he says, "What are you guys doin' here?"

"We were hoping we could train here with you for the day," Aqua says.

"Sure thing sugarcakes," Phil says with a crooked smile. "I got a kid I'm training inside. He's got spunk and I think he can go the distance, but he's losin' sight of the big picture." He turns on his hooves and slowly leads them to the doors to the coliseum. "Maybe you two can set him straight again. Have you been gettin' better?"

"Of course!" Terra exclaims. "Just wait and see. Me and Aqua are almost ready to take our Mark of Mastery Exam. "

"Are ya now?" Phil says a little surprised. "And what about that one?" He jerks his finger at Ven who had been walking slightly behind the others listening closely.

"Hey!" He shouts indignantly. "I'm right here y'know."

"Ven's still learning," Aqua says trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. "But he'll get there one day, I'm sure."

…

Walking into the arena, Phil puts two fingers to his lips and lets out a piercing whistle. The skinny boy who had been about to punch a barrel looks up at the sound and cocks his head in surprise seeing the group that had just interrupted his training. "Oi Herc!" Phil calls. "Get over here. I got some people I want ya to meet."

The boy named Herc hastily runs over to Phil nearly tripping over his large feet. "Hello," Herc says slightly out of breath. "I'm Hercules, but you can just call me Herc."

He stretches out his hand and Terra takes it giving him a firm shake. "I'm Terra."

Aqua shakes his hand. "Aqua."

Ven is slighlty surprised when the boy that appears to be about his age offers to shake his hand as well. But he grips Herc's hand saying, "Call me Ven."

"Nice to meet you all," Herc says. Then turning to Phil he says, "I broke 45 barrels in 18 min-"

"Hold yer horses Herc," Phil says interrupting him. "These aren't your average joes. These guys are the real deal. Heroes." Ven smiles at the compliment. "Well Terra and Aqua are at least."

Ven's face falls into a crushed expression and Terra punches him lightly in the shoulder.

"True heroes?" Herc says in wonder.

"Yep. Terra and Aqua are keyblade wielders. They've been protecting the worlds from darkness for years," Phil says.

"Hey I'm a keyblade wielder," Ven adds. "Does that mean I'm a hero too?"

"Not even close," Phil replies. "Just having a flashy sword doesn't make you hero material."

Ven's shoulders slump a little but he perks up when Phil then says, "But lets see what you can do. If you're not totally hopeless I might give you a few pointers."

"Can I show you what I got too?"

They turn to see another boy whose dark blue eyes stared out with a mischievous air through the slits in his helmet which masks most of his face. Phil groans and runs his hand over his face. "Sheesh, don't you ever give?"

"No way!" The masked boy says. "I wanna to be the best and I gotta have the best trainer."

As Phil raises his eyes to the sky with a scowl, the newcomer ignores him looking around at the others. "I'm Zack, Zack Fair," he says cheerfully. They go around and introduce themselves as well. When they finish Phil frowns at Zack and says,

"I'll give you one shot. I need to see if Ven here is any good so why don't you spar with him. I ain't promising anything, but I admire your persistence."

"Yes!" Zack says pumping his fist into the air. "I won't let you down Phil. I'll show you I got what it takes to be a true hero."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Phil says not even listening. "Herc! Clear all these barrels. We need the arena."

"Yes Phil," Herc says running over to push all the barrels up against the stands out of the way.

"Well good luck," Zack says holding his hand out to Ven who takes it noticing for the first time how muscular his opponents arms are. For a brief moment, blue eyes meet blue eyes. With a smile Zack turns walking to the other side of the arena leaving Ven with Terra and Aqua as Phil has already climbed into the stands to watch the match. Ven watches him walk away feeling nervous for the fight.

"Ven."

Ven continues to stare at Zack as he warms up swinging his sword around in his hands.

"Hey Ven."

"Hmm?"

Ven jumps slightly as a large hand suddenly waves right in front of his nose. He turns to find Terra smirking slightly at him and he can feel a little heat rush to his cheeks. "What?" Ven asks probably a little harsher than necessary.

"Nothin'," Terra says innocently. "Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention."

"Ignore him Ven," Aqua says. "Just do your best."

With a final smile of encouragement from Aqua and a smirk from Terra, Ven turns back to face Zack. Feeling a little apprehensive, Ven walks to the marked off arena unable to take his eyes off of Zack. As he walks he can hear Phil shouting out the rules of the match. "Alright I want a nice fair fight. No help from the onlookers. And don't under any circumstances kill each other."

"I'll try not to," Zack says with a grin making Ven lose concentration on what Phil is saying. Ven just stares at him unable to come up with a response that won't make him sound completely dumb. "Hey man, I was just kidding. Y'know, a joke?" Zack says.

"Haha right," Ven says hoping he isn't blushing. Phil's voice comes back to him.

"...three words, give it all you got."

Ven shoots Zack a confused look. Zack laughs, Ven can't help but smile. A piercing whistle rings out making Ven jump slightly. "Let's dance Ven," Zack says falling into a battle stance with his sword held out in front of him.

Ven reaches back summoning his keyblade in his backhand grip. "Gladly."

Zack is the first to charge, leaping forward with an overhead swing. Ven smirks and jumps back out of the way. Zack's sword cuts through the air where he had been moments before and clangs against the ground. Ven whips his keyblade around as he steps forward trying to catch Zack as he recovers from his miss, but Zack is able to raise his sword in time to deflect the slash. The deflection forces Ven away from Zack, but he goes with the momentum spinning around to bring his keyblade up horizontally to block Zack's follow up attack. Their swords smash against each other and neither gives way. They each push with all their might on the other and for a moment their faces are within inches of each other; so close that Ven can hear Zack's panted breath from under his helmet.

Zack begins to push Ven's keyblade back. Knowing that Zack will overcome his block, Ven jumps to the side hoping that Zack will fall forward off balance, but Zack keeps his balance and turns with Ven so they are still facing one another. Zack aims a hit at Ven's feet, but he jumps just in time to let the sword pass right underneath him. Zack wastes no time in bringing his sword back around for a diagonal cut across Ven's chest. With a flick of his wrist, Ven deflects Zack's sword making Zack stumble. Seeing his opening, Ven quickly slashes again making small quick movements with his keyblade that forces Zack to stay on the defensive. Zack deflects each swing, but is slowly backing up.

Ven grins broadly as he sees that he is gaining ground on his opponent. He starts swinging harder putting more and more behind each attack hoping to break through Zack's guard and land a hit. Cocky, Ven doesn't react fast enough when Zack jumps out of the way instead of blocking his attack. Caught off balance by the sudden change in fighting style, Ven is left wide open for Zack's attack that strikes him hard in the side. Zack turns his sword at the last second to avoid cutting Ven, instead hitting him with the flat side of his blade. It still hurts a lot. Ven stumbles back clutching his side with his non-sword hand. He backs up and watches Zack warily as he recovers from the immediate pain.

Ven and Zack slowly circle each other waiting for the other to make a move. Although his side is still paining him, Ven takes the initiative, running forward to resume the fight. Zack easily blocks Ven's first over head cut, but is caught off guard by Ven's faint right and strike left. Now it's Zack's turn to stumble back holding his ribs. Zack recovers faster than Ven did however and there is barely a pause before he is charging back with his sword held high. Ven steps forward to meet him and their blades lock together once again. Neither is giving way at the moment, but Ven knows that Zack will overcome him with sheer strength so instead of holding his block until he is forced to back down, Ven immediately turns away. Zack is able to get his sword up just in time to deflect Ven's stab at his chest, but he deflects Ven's strike up and Ven's keyblade hits the bottom of Zack's helmet knocking it off his head.

As the helmet comes off, Ven catches sight of Zack's spiky black hair, wild and untamed. The similarities are shocking. Ven can't help but let out a gasp as an image of Tay flashes before his eyes before fading into Zack. Zack's sword swings horizontally towards him and Ven snaps out of his stunned stupor to bring his keyblade up just in time to block the blow. However, as he was unprepared, Ven doesn't have his feet planted firmly, and the force of Zack's hit knocks him down. As he struggles to get up, Ven freezes as the cold point of a sword comes to rest on his throat and with a gulp he looks up.

Zack stands above him with his sword out. His chest heaves as he tries to recover from their battle. After a moment, he lets his sword drop and slicks his sweaty hair back with one hand. "That...was really fun," he says between deep breaths and with a grin he reaches out his hand to Ven. Still staring at him in disbelief, Ven wordlessly takes Zack's hand and lets him haul him to his feet. "Great match. You really know what you are doing," Zack continues not noticing Ven's intense stare.

"You too," Ven finally says forcing himself to release Zack's hand now that he is back on his feet.

"That was awesome guys!" Herc bounds over to them his face flushed in excitement like he had just been the one fighting. "I was sure it was going to be a draw."

"I'd say we were pretty evenly matched, right Ven?" Zack says turning to the blond who tries to smile back. "I mean this little guy got me pretty good." Zack lifts up his black tunic like shirt to inspect his ribs on the side Ven had struck him. A small bruise is forming, but Ven eyes are instead on the well defined six-pack on Zack's stomach.

As Zack puts his shirt back into place, Ven looks away hurriedly and says with a frown, "Who are you calling little guy?"

Laughing, Zack throws his arm around Ven's neck and roughly pulls him to his side. Ven is surprised but manages to shout indignantly, "You're only like two inches taller! It's not that much of a difference."

"Oh really? Then how come you can't get away from me?"

Ven strains in vain to free himself from Zack's grip, but Zack only holds him tighter. They are almost full out wrestling when Phil steps in.

"Alright, alright, break it up. The fight's over. Now get out of the arena so Aqua and Terra can show you dreamers how far you still gotta go."

Zack and Herc quickly hurry over to take seats in the stands as Terra and Aqua walked towards the fighting area. Ven watches Zack go, from the back where Ven couldn't see his blue eyes, he really did look like Tay.

"Nice job Ven," Terra says bring Ven's focus back to his two friends.

"You fought really well," Aqua says with a smile. She ruffles his hair before continuing to walk to the other side of the arena so she and Terra can face off. Ven goes to walk over to the stands when Terra stops him by grabbing his arm.

"Did something happen Ven?" He asks.

"What do you mean?" Ven replies not meeting his eyes.

"I mean when you knocked Zack's helmet off, you looked like you froze just for a second," Terra says and Ven bites his lip. "I know you like him Ven and didn't want to hurt him, but it seemed like something more was happening."

Ven chews his lip for a moment before saying softly. "He looks just like him."

"Just like who?" Terra asks, but before Ven can answer, Phil calls out,

"Oi! Clear the arena! Lets get this match started."

Ven hurries towards the stands calling to Terra over his shoulder, "Good luck!" Then glancing in Aqua's direction, he looks back and grins. "You're going to need it."

...

Braig looks up at the ringing of the bell over the door. Craning his next to look across the overly crowded tavern, he catches a glimpse of the newcomer. He drums his fingers on the bar as he waits impatiently for the man to cross the room and sit on a stool a few spots down from Braig. His ratty black cloak, untamed beard, and wild eyes make others around the bar glance at him before moving away to be at safe distance. The only one not affected by the man's aura was Braig. His eyes narrow and he glances from the man on the bar stool to the name on the scrap of paper he held between his fingers. _Hason Feld. _Braig raises his eyes as the man curses and waves his hand at the bartender who hurries to bring him a drink. Ugly gold rings adorn his fingers and Briag nods to himself satisfied that this is indeed Hason.

As the bartender places a glass of whiskey in front of Hason, Briag gets up and moves to the stool next to Hason. The man gives him a sideways look that would have sent most men running, but Braig just smiles haughtily back. "Wipe that idiotic smile of your face, or I'll knock it off."

"Touchy, touchy," Braig says smirking. "Didn't mommy ever teach you to mind your manners?"

Hason stares at him incredulously, caught off guard. "Are you looking for a fight?" He growls.

"As if!" Braig replies signaling to the bartender to bring him another round. "I'm just looking to make a little conversation."

"While I drink alone so get lost."

"Ah, but you are the one I want to talk to, Hason," Braig says.

Hason reacts immediately. Without hesitation, he flicks open a pocket knife and points is threateningly at Braig. "How do you know my name?"

"I'd put that away otherwise someone might end up hurt," Braig replies in a quiet voice. He lifts his jacket slightly so Hason can get a good look at the gun he has tucked into his waistband. After a moment, Hason closes the knife with a snap but doesn't put it away. "Excellent," Braig says letting his jacket fall back into place. "Now down to business, I've been looking for just a man like you with your experience. Little birdy told me that you keep an eye on all the lost puppies that travel these roads for a living."

"And who told you that?"

"Didn't catch his name," Braig says. "But it seems you have made quite a business of trading protection on the Highway for a small fee."

Hason regards him for a long moment before replying slowly. "People may give me a token of appreciation for keeping them safe from robbers and murderers, but what's it to you?"

"I was hoping you've heard of my...friend," Braig says lowering his voice. Hason unhappily leans in closer to hear him. "A boy, goes by Ven or Ventus. My boss has a special interest in finding those who know him."

Hason pulls away giving Braig a strange look before standing up tossing some loose coins on the bar. "Don't know him." He says shoving his pocket knife back in his pocket and turning to leave. Braig waits a moment before standing as well and leaving his untouched glass on the bar. Outside, Braig spots Hason hurrying away down an alley.

"Was it something I said?" Braig calls coldly after him and Hason glances over his shoulder at him before breaking out in a run. With a sigh, Braig pulls out his gun and shoots at the man hitting him in the leg with a glowing bullet. Hason howls in pain and tumbles to the ground clutching his injured calf.

He hisses in anger as Braig crouches down next to him. "I'm not telling you nothing," Hason says his voice dripping in venom. "I'm not getting mixed up with you bastards."

"Oh?" Braig says idly poking Hason in his injured leg with his gun. "And who exactly do you think I am?"

"You're...you're with the prince's special police, aren't you? Why else would you be looking for that boy?"

"As if!" Braig says laughing darkly. "I work for someone much more powerful than your little prince. But since you brought it up, what do you know about Ventus and why would the prince of this world be looking for the brat?"

Hason just glares at him. Without batting an eye, Braig turns his gun and shoots Hason in the other leg. The other man grunts in pain and after a moment says in a defeated voice, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you what I know."

"I knew you would come around," Braig says. "Now start talking."

Through gritted teeth, Hason says, "I never messed with that kid Ventus. The trouble that keyblade of his stirred up wasn't worth it. Rumor has it that he even sent the monsters on a massacre in Whin. He got arrested, and disappeared into the King's Fortress for months. For some reason they didn't kill him and he got out. He's been seen a couple times out in the rough country. He's runnin'. Prince Keric's men have been searching high and low for him for months, but keep coming up empty."

Braig mulls this over before asking, "Why is this Prince Keric so intent on finding some little stray?"

"No clue, they don't exactly advertise," Hason says.

Nodding, Braig stands. "Thanks for the intel," he says smiling down at Hason. He lifts to gun to aim right between Hason's eyes. "But I can't have any loose ends hanging around now can I?" Hason's protests have no effect on Briag and with a single shot he lies unmoving in the dark alley.

Walking back out onto the main road, Braig pauses for a moment to get his bearings. At a brisk pace, he sets out in the direction of Whin, the capital of Carinol; this Prince Keric may just be the leverage Xehanort needs to bring Ventus around to their plans.

* * *

**Congratulations to Mexi for guessing that Ven's bf is going to be Zack! Here is your virtual high five *smack*. **

**But that's for later, right now Ven just has a mega crush on him. **

**And Braig is such a scary dude! I thought of this scene in the bar in English class today and it gave me the drive to finish this chapter. **

**So as always hope you liked this chapter and give VenxZack a chance 'cause I think it's going to end up being really good.**


	14. The Hydra

Chapter 14 _The Hydra_

"They're really good aren't they?" Zack says leaning back in his seat as he watches Terra and Aqua fight on in the arena below. His comment catches Ven's attention and he pries his eyes away from the match to look over at Zack seated beside him.

"Yeah," Ven replies. "I hope one day I can get as good as them, but they've been training with Master Eraqus so much longer than I have."

"Oh you'll get there," Zack says. "You have the keyblade. I've heard it only chooses people with the strongest hearts. Man, I wish I had one." Zack shoots an envious glance in Ven's direction and is surprised when Ven frowns and looks away.

"No you don't," Ven says bitterly. "My life sucks. I would never want anyone else to have to carry the keyblade."

"What?!" Zack says in surprise. "But keyblades are like the most powerful weapon. And you get to travel to all kinds of worlds! That's gotta be cool. Adventures all the time. Now that's the kind of life I want."

"Hmph," Ven says. "Sounds great except you're missing a couple small details. Everyone is scared of you. You are forced to wander forever because no one wants you to stay. And the heartless follow you destroying everything you love. You're always lonely, with no one to call your friend."

Zack's eyes are wide in shock and his mouth hangs open. "Bu-but you have Terra and Aqua," he stammers confused. "And Phil and Herc aren't scared of you. And neither am I. Why would you say those things?"

Ven ponders what Zack said for a moment looking out at Terra and Aqua. He watches as Aqua jumps over Terra to try and hit him from behind, but Terra is quick enough to jump out of the way. His eyes move over to Phil and Herc sitting a little ways away. Phil is talking incessantly about the match while Herc's head never stops bobbing in agreement. Ven bring's his eyes back to Zack as he waits patiently for Ven to reply.

"Zack," Ven begins hesitantly. "You're right. What I said before, that's how my life used to be. I have to remember that that is all behind me now."

"Oh I get it," Zack says nodding. "I get how hard it is to start over with a new life. My first home was destroyed by a heartless invasion. My parents were killed and only a few besides me were able to escape."

"I'm so sorry," Ven says lowering his head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault," Zack says with a grim smile. "I was lucky to escape with the others and we started over in a new world."

"This world?"

"No, not this world," Zack says. "I just came here to become a hero, like my father. It's all I've ever dreamed about."

"I'm sure you'll be a great hero one day Zack," Ven says softly.

"Thanks Ven," Zack says punching him lightly in the shoulder. "I've gotta be getting pretty good, I mean, I've already beaten a keyblade wielder."

"Ha you won't be saying that after I get a rematch."

"Oh you really think you can take me?"

"I could wipe the floor with you."

"I think anyone who saw our match would beg to differ."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Isn't this just so sweet?"

Ven and Zack both jump apart. They hadn't even noticed that as they had argued they had leaned closer and closer to each other so their noses were nearly touching. Trying to hide his blush, Ven turns to glare at the man whose comment had interrupted them.

He stands a step behind them in the stands grinning with pointed teeth. His skin is blue and so is his hair. Wait is that fire?

"Who the hell are you?" Zack asks eyeing the stranger warily.

"Names Hades, Lord of the Dead, god of the Underworld, yadda yadda, how ya doin'," Hades says holding out his hand to Zack who just stares at it. "Sheesh, what ever happened to manners?" Hades asks bring his hand back to run his fingers through the blue flames on his head.

"Hades!" Ven turns to see Herc and Phil standing up to look over at them. Herc's hands are curled into fists as he regards Hades.

"Herc! Long time no see!" Hades disappears in a flash of smoke and reappears next to Herc with his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Last time I saw you you were just a-"

"Save it Hades," Herc says throwing his arm off and turning to glare at Hades once more. "What are you doing here?"

"I like your style kid, right to the point," Hades says. "No need for all this hostility. I just came to watch the oh so famous keyblade wielders fight."

Hades disappears again and reappears next to Ven causing him to jump. "And this one caught my eye," Hades says leaning down to look Ven in the eye. "Lots of untapped power in there." Before Ven can react, Hades grabs his shoulder and smoke surrounds them both.

Coughing, Ven looks around in shock to discover that he and Hades are now floating in the air above the arena. "Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Ven shouts angrily.

"Woah, someone's got a lot of spunk!" Hades says digging his sharp fingers into Ven's arm.

"Let him go Hades!"

Ven looks down to see Zack brandishing his sword at Hades. Herc stands next to him in a fighting stance with Terra and Aqua running up behind them staring up with confusion having missed most of the previous exchange. "Looks like I poked the beehive," Hades murmurs. "Just ignore them kid, I got a proposition for ya." With a flick of his wrist and another small cloud of smoke a scroll and a pen appear in Hades' hand. "Just sign your name on the dotted line and I can make sure you never lose another match against some weakling like spiky down there."

"What?" Ven says confused.

"Geez Louise, try and keep up," Hades says rolling his eyes. "Darkness. I can help you use all that wasted darkness you got inside. Write your name down and presto! You'll be the most powerful guy in the room, well besides me ofcourse."

Ven just stares at him in disbelief. "What did I grow an extra head or something?" Hades says.

"I-I'm not doing anything you say," Ven says feeling his hatred at Hades grow. "You are fucking insane to think I would want to use darkness! Especially against Zack! Now let me go!" With that, Ven yanks his arm away pulling away from Hades' grip. No longer in contact with the god, the magic holding him in the air vanishes and Ven begins to fall.

"Ven!"

His friends below shout his name in fear, but Ven just summons and tosses his keyblade quickly. His glider flies back to him and he land on it lightly flying through a large arc before landing beside Terra. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Terra asks franticly as Ven dismisses his glider his keyblade reappearing in his hand.

"I'm fine Terra," Ven says. "That guy is fucking insane."

"We can take him," Aqua says moving to stand slightly in front of Ven.

"Yeah," Zack says from next to Aqua. Then louder, "You hear that Hades? We are going to kick your ass all the way back to Underworld."

"Oh I'm so scared," Hades says mockingly. "No I don't think that is going to happen." Hades begins to glow red and Ven has to cover his eyes as an inferno erupts around Hades. When the bright light fades, he lowers his hand to see that the sky has turned purple and black and Hades is nowhere in sight.

"Is he-" Ven begins to ask but his voice is drowned by an ear splitting screech coming from outside the coliseum.

"C'mon," Herc shouts waving them after him as he runs for the doors that led out of the coliseum. "He must have gone out there."

Running through the lobby, they find Phil running in from outside. "Phil what's out there?" Aqua asks.

Phil is taking deep breaths with his hands on his knees. "Hydra...he summoned...the Hydra..." The looks of fear on Herc and Zack's faces let Terra, Aqua, and Ven know without asking that that is very bad. "You guys have to hold it off," Phil says finally having regained his breath. "I'll round up some help up on Olympus."

With quick nods to Phil, the battle ready crew rushes out to meet the monster. Once through the doors, they pull up short staring up with sinking hearts at the huge monster before them. The hydra towers taller than the coliseum with four heads heads that all snap around to look at the five of them. As one they let out another ear splitting screech. Angered by their appearance, the Hydra whips its tail back and forth knocking down half the wall with the scoreboards and the door leading out to the city.

"We gotta stop it before it destroys the Coliseum," Herc says with a hard expression of determination. "It's time to see if all that training paid off."

"Let's go!" Zack shouts running forward without looking to see if the others are following.

Ven is only half a step behind Zack, and when the Hydra whips it's tail around it front of it trying to trip them up he calls out, "Jump Zack!" Without hesitation, Zack jumps into the air with Ven and the thick tail passes harmlessly under them. Zack turns, his word of thanks half formed on his lips, but Ven interrupts him shouting, "Again!" Zack is almost too late to react this time, but they both land back on the ground unscathed. The tail whips back for a third try, but they are both anticipating it this time and easily jump out of the way.

Seeing that a new tactic is needed, the Hydra draws its tail away and instead lowers it's four heads. One swings down to snap at Ven and Zack causing them to leap back out of the way of it's sharp teeth. Glancing around for half a second, Ven sees that the others are engaged with their own heads. Each head seems to have a mind of it's own, working independent of the others. Ven turns back to find himself looking straight into a pair of huge yellow eyes.

"Ven!"

Zack is suddenly at his side with his sword held out in a block covering both of them as the Hydra's teeth chomp down. It hits Zack's sword and roars as he throws it back. "Ven you gotta pay attention," Zack says through gritted teeth.

"Right," Ven says falling into a battle stance. The Hydra, having recovered from Zack's block, swifty thrusts it's head down almost like its pecking at them. After jumping out of the way of the first attack, Ven and Zack switch from defense to offense. Zack moves to the right and Ven moves to the left forcing the Hydra to pick who to focus on. It picks Zack and continues to try and peck at him with it's sharp snout. Zack tries to stab it's head with his sword, but is only able to land a couple of hits.

At the same time, Ven uses the distraction Zack is making to make his move. With a quick assessment of the Hydra's movements, he moves to the perfect position and, when the Hydra pecks down at Zack again, he jumps and strikes it with his keyblade under its chin. The head pulls up quickly and turns to face Ven. It snaps down at him, but he is expecting that and jumps back swinging his keyblade to catch it on the nose as it's jaws snap close around the space he used to be in. Ven watches as the Hydra's head rises up again, but it suddenly jerks and it's eyes roll up to the back of it's head. As it falls stunned to the ground, Zack jumps down from it's neck with a triumphant grin.

"Let's finish this," Ven says moving to make a fatal attack on the unconscious monster.

Zack quickly moves to stop him saying, "Wait Ven! Taking out one head does nothing. We gotta take it all out at once." Ven looks at him confused. "Just trust me. I've heard stories about this thing."

Ven nods lowering his keyblade. The screech of one of the heads catches his attention and he turns to see Herc frantically dodging left and right as the Hydra snaps at his head. "C'mon," Ven says hurrying over.

From a run, Ven jumps at the Hydra and strikes it solidly nearly hitting it's right eye. With a screech of anger the Hydra rears up out of striking distance to recover. Zack and Ven hurry to Herc's side. "Thanks guys," Herc says dejectedly. "I guess I'm still not that strong."

"None of that!" Ven says rather forcefully. "Now isn't the time to be talking like that."

"Yeah," Zack says in a slightly kinder voice. "You're doing fine just remember all your training."

"My training..." Herc mumbles deep in thought, then his whole face lights up. "I have an idea!" He looks over at them. "Do you think you guys can take care of this head? I have plan and I think-I think might work." He sounds a little unsure, but the look in his eye says otherwise.

"No problem," Zack says. "We got this, right Ven?"

Ven is already gone, charging at the wary Hydra head that had come back within range. Herc runs back towards the coliseum as Zack runs to catch up with Ven.

After watching Ven run off after Zack, Terra's first instinct is to follow his younger friend to ensure he doesn't get hurt. Terra forces himself not to, telling himself that Ven is strong enough to look after himself and Zack has his back. Instead, Terra charges forward at a different head of the Hydra and immediately swings his bulky keyblade at it's throat. The head rears back making his hit only a glancing blow. In response, the Hydra pecks down at him with it's mouth open wide to snap at him and Terra aims a well placed hit on it's snout forcing it away.

Out of the corner of his eye he catches a flash of blue and turns for a moment to see Aqua engaging another head nearby. She is shooting fireballs at it and the explosions all around it's head serve as a distraction allowing her to move in close and land a good combo on it's neck.

Terra turns back to his own head and points his keyblade at the monster. "Blizzara!" He shouts and a cold blast of icicles form out of the tip of his keyblade. He catches the Hydra with his magic full in the face and it screeches in agony and rage. He keeps up the magic for a second more before releasing it and moving at once to strike the Hydra with his keyblade. After a combo on it's head, the Hydra is nearly knocked out. It's head lolls on it's neck and Terra, seeing his opportunity, rushes forward and jumps to strike it in the neck in a fatal blow.

"Terra no! Don't cut its head off!"

Aqua's warning is too late and by the time Terra registers what she said his keyblade had already passed through the Hydra's neck and it's head fell to the ground before melting out of existence. He lands back on the balls of his feet and finds her beside him.

"What were you trying to tell me?" Terra asks.

Aqua's response is to shake her head and point back at the monster. "Look."

Terra takes a double take as the stump that he had just created from decapitating the Hydra began to change shape. A second later he is staring up in disbelief at two heads that had grown out of where one had been previously. Both heads turn to train their eyes on him and he and Aqua move quickly to avoid the pecking heads.

"What the hell?" Terra says to Aqua panting. "How did it do that?"

"I don't know," Aqua replies pulling him out of the way of the Hydra's attacks. "The head I was fighting did the same thing."

Terra looks to see that this is true and then glances over in the other direction. Ven and Zack are fighting a different head then they had first taken on. That one was lying on the ground out cold.

"Looks like Ven and Zack had the right idea," Terra says and Aqua also looks over.

They both jump back as all four heads try to snap at them. "This is not working," Aqua says in a strained voice.

Terra nods in agreement. Staying on the ground they are sitting ducks for the heads to try and pick off. Time for a change in tactics. Terra quickly tosses his keyblade into the air. As the glider returns he jumps on it and motions for Aqua to do the same. "I'll drive, you fight."

Aqua hesitates for a second, then nods and climbs on, sitting behind Terra but facing backwards so she won't hit him when she swings her keyblade. They take to the sky zooming around the Hydra, too fast for it to bite them. Terra expertly maneuvers the glider getting close enough to the heads for Aqua to slice at them with her keyblade. With each hit, the Hydra becomes angrier and more determined to catch the keyblade wielders.

Terra is forced to make sharper turns and quicker movements to continue evading the monster. After a particulary sudden turn, Terra hears Aqua gasp in surprise. Turning slightly, he wraps one arm securely around her waist while continuing to drive with his other hand. From the tensing he felt at his touch he knows Aqua is not happy, but at the moment he doesn't care. He is focused on flying around the Hydra and making sure Aqua doesn't fall off.

After they make another pass through the sea of snapping heads, Terra and Aqua hover above the doors that lead to the city beyond the coliseum. The heads all crane around to look at them, and with a snarl of annoyance, the Hydra jumps and turns it's body all the way around so it is facing them with it's back to the coliseum. Terra is about to fly back to continue their assault, but stops seeing Herc come running out the doors of the coliseum with one of the barrels he had been training with before tucked under his arm. He motions for Terra to stay where he is and, curious as to what Herc is planning, Terra does so.

"They make a great team," Zack says to Ven as they watch Terra and Aqua zip around the Hydra's heads. Ven nods in agreement leaning back with his hands behind his head.

"They sure do," he says. "I wish they had left us a couple to deal with." Distracted by the flying keyblade wielders, the Hydra had withdrawn the head that Ven and Zack had been fighting and it is now snapping at Terra and Aqua with the other four heads. The first one Zack and Ven had taken out is still unconscious.

The Hydra suddenly jumps and lands with a thud having turned it's body completely around. "Woah!" Ven exclaims as the ground shakes from the impact of the monster. He reaches out his arms for balance and Zack grabs one keeping Ven on his feet.

"Heyyyy!"

Ven looks up to see Herc shouting and waving at them from the steps to the doors of the coliseum. "C'mon," Zack says running off in Herc's direction, dragging Ven by his arm which he still held firmly. "Let's see what his plan is."

As they run, Herc yells to them, "Ven! Get up on the Hydra's back!" They skid to a stop next to the thick tail of the Hydra and Ven looks at Zack confused.

"Just go along with it," Zack says shoving his sword into it's holder. "Here, I'll help you up." Zack bends down slightly interlacing his fingers to form a step. Knowing that in battle you can't waste time with arguing, Ven puts his hands on Zack's shoulders and his foot in his hands. With a grunt of effort, Zack brings his arms up and Ven jumps, reaching up his hands scrabbling for something to hold onto.

Ven grabs onto one of the triangle scales on the Hydra's back and hauls himself up. Getting to his feet, he summons his keyblade and looks over to Herc who is holding a training barrel in his hands. "Ven!" Herc shouts as he throws the heavy barrel with inhuman strength high into the air. Guessing what Herc wants him to do, Ven carefully watches the barrel's flight and times his jump perfectly. He meets the barrel at the highest point of his jump and it feels like everything is in slow motion. Ven swings his keyblade as the barrel falls past him and adds the power of his hit to the already fast moving missile.

The barrel rockets down even faster and strikes the Hydra where all the necks converge. The force knocks it flat on the ground with a small cry of pain. Ven lands lightly on the Hydra's back and jumps back to the ground where he is meet by Zack who is grinning at him with his fist held out. Ven grins back and pounds Zack's fist with his own. They both look up in surprise as a bright flash catches their eye.

"Way to go Ven!" Terra says pumping his fist into the air as he watches the barrel smash into the Hydra severely injuring it. He flies down and he and Aqua jump off the glider as it turns back into his keyblade.

"How are we going to kill it?" Aqua asks worried. "Taking out it's heads is out of the question."

"I don't know," Terra admits watching as Ven jumps down from the Hydra's back. The Hydra struggles, but slowly gets back on it's feet letting out another screech which sounds feeble compared to before. "What's Herc doing?" Terra asks watching the boy as he walks away from the monster his eyes squinting up at the sky.

Aqua follows his gaze and the two of them stare up at the sky as well wondering what Herc sees. Suddenly, the clouds break open and a gigantic lightning bolt explodes out, shooting down, and hitting the Hydra in the chest. The Hydra howls in pain and when the bright light fades Terra can see that the once fearsome monster is moments away from fading away for good. In it's final moments, the Hydra uses all its remaining strength to whip it's tail back and forth, slamming it repeatedly into the wall of the coliseum across from Terra and Aqua. Dust and debris explodes out with each hit and cracks appear in the rock. The Hydra finally fades away, but the damage is done.

Terra hears Ven shout, "Zack look out!" and watches in horror as Ven tackles Zack to the ground just as one of the pillars next to the entrance of the coliseum falls where Zack had been standing moments ago. Terra starts to run to the two fallen boys, and to his relief they appear to be unharmed as they begin to help each other up. Then a foreboding crack resonates throughout the arena. The whole wall tumbles down and Ven and Zack disappear in the cloud of dust and fallen debris.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Ugh this chapter was so hard to write! I had to watch the video of Sora fighting the Hydra in KHII so many times to figure out what they were each going to do. **

**The lightning bolt from the sky was so deus ex machina...like literally...**

**So I'm going to change the title of this story slightly. I have officially decided that this is going to be a series not just a single story soooooo**

**MEKA will be renamed The Dark Seeker Saga: MEKA**

**Just wanted to give you all a heads up so you don't get confused. I'll probably change the title when I put out the next chapter.**

**Mexi: Glad you liked the fighting in the last chapter. I was really happy with how it turned out. **

**Next chapter probably won't be out for a while so I'm sorry I left you on a cliffhanger. But you know sometimes I just have to put real life ahead of my writing and with playoffs for varisty (oh yeah! we are going far this year!), summer softball taking over my weekends, and finals nearly here I don't really see myself getting the next chapter out for like two weeks. **

**:(**

**But you know, I might have the incentive to stay up a little late and get it done in a week if you all were to leave reviews. :) So please review! I really want to hear what you have to say!**


	15. Confusion

Chapter 15 _Confusion_

Zack comes back to his senses to an eerie silence and an intense pain. "Fuuuuck," Zack hisses out as bands of pain radiate up his arm. It takes him a moment to identify the source of the pain as coming from his wrist where, along with the intense pain, he can feel the unmistakable feeling of blood on the back of his hand. As the pain subsides slightly for the moment, he is able to notice other things. Like the fact that the coliseum has collapsed right on top of him, like the fact that he is trapped with some heavy piece of rubble pressing down on his chest, like the fact that there is so much dust in the air he could barely breathe.

As he takes this all in, his eyes slowly adjust to the minimal light that somehow makes its way from the outside to him. The light reveals that it is Ven sprawled on top of him not a piece of rubble, and Ven's eyes are closed. "Ven," Zack calls before falling into a coughing fit from all the dust in the air.

When the coughing ceases, he tries again. "Ven, wake up. C'mon man. Please wake up." But Ven remains unresponsive and, to add to Zack's growing fear in the pit of his stomach, Ven's light blond hair darkens as blood from an unknown source soaks it. Zack wiggles his unhurt hand in the tight space until he is able to reach out and touch Ven's head. He pulls his fingers back now stained with blood and stares at them in horror. He shakes Ven's shoulder slightly. "No, Ven you have to wake up. You have to." Still there is no response. Panicking, Zack begins to jerk around slightly and knocks his injured hand against the rubble around him. Clenching his eyes against the pain, he forces himself to hold perfectly still. That's when he notices the slight breeze on his neck. Cracking his eyes open, Zack cranes his head to see with relief that what he is feeling is Ven's soft breathing.

"Ven! Zack!" The shout is muffled but obviously coming from somewhere above him and the rubble of the coliseum. He screams back as loud as he can,

"We're here! Help! We're down here!"

He waits, but there is no reply.

"Help! You gotta help us! Is anyone there?"

He waits again.

"Zack! Zack can you hear me?"

It is Aqua's voice. Relieved, Zack shouts back, "Aqua! I can hear you! We're stuck down here!"

Again he waits. She doesn't respond at first and Zack glances back at Ven who remains as still as ever his head resting on Zack's collarbone. There is even more blood now.

"Zack! We're gonna get you out of there!" Aqua's voice is accompanied by the sounds of shifting rock. "Is Ven with you?"

"Yeah," Zack shouts back. "He's knocked out." He hopes that he is keeping his fear out of his voice, but he is really scared for Ven.

"Just sit tight we'll get you guys out in no time." Aqua however doesn't sound so sure. Zack awaits their rescue listening to the sounds of digging and trying to ignore the flashes of pain from his wrist. He tries to calm himself by breathing evenly.

_It's all going to be alright._ He tells himself. _Herc and Terra and Aqua will get us out. And Ven is going to be fine._ Zack gently touches Ven's face. He looks so peaceful, like he is sleeping. A crash from high above is accompanied by a blast of dust into their small hole in the rubble. Zack glances up fearfully at the broken piece of pillar that is above them like a beam holding back the rubble. If that gives they will be crushed. Zack continues to absentmindedly brush Ven's cheek wishing he would wake up and praying that whatever god had kept them alive so far would keep the pillar from breaking before they are rescued.

"Ugnh..."

"Ven!" Zack says in relief as the still boy on top of him stirs slightly. "Ven wake up!"

"What..." Ven says as he slowly opens his eyes. "What happened? How did- ugh...my head."

"The whole fricking coliseum fell on top of us," Zack says noticing that Ven seems to have trouble focusing his eyes on him. "You got knocked in the head and have been out for awhile. Don't worry, the others are digging us out."

Ven is silent for a moment, blinking while he processes what Zack had said. Then, "I'm so glad you're alive, Tay."

Ven tries to give a surprised and confused Zack a hug in the tight space. "I thought I saw you die, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, you're here so you must have survived somehow."

"Ven-"

"I wasn't mad at you for leaving. It was hard without you, but I used everything you taught me to stay alive. And you won't believe it, but you were right! There are other worlds out there. I've seen some. They're incredible... nothing like home. Nothing like it," Ven trails off mumbling incoherently while gripping Zack tighter.

Still confused and now worried, Zack awkwardly returns the hug with his uninjured hand. "Ven," he says slowly. "Who do you think I am?"

Ven releases him and pulls back slightly so he can look him in the face. "What kind of question is that Tay?" He asks Zack rubbing the back of his head. His expression changes to horror as he brings his hand back in front of him covered in blood. "My-my head," Ven stutters.

Zack quickly grabs Ven's shaking hand and squeezes it tight. "You're going to be fine," Zack says calmly even though his heart is racing. "Just try not to move around too much. Here, lie down again." With a little bit of shifting and a few curses from Zack when he bumps his injured hand, they settle down again with Ven lying down on the ground and Zack sitting beside him hunched over to fit in the tight space. Now Zack can see his wrist and know immediately that it is broken. It is twisted away from his body at a painful angle and a deep cut across the back of his hand is bleeding profusely.

Another loud crash comes from above followed by a blast of dust. When the dust settles, Zack can hear voices from the outside. They are muffled and indistinct, but closer than before.

"You hear that Ven," Zack says trying to smile. "That's Terra and Aqua coming to rescue us."

Ven looks off thoughtfully. "Terra and Aqua... You'd like them Tay. They're keyblade wielders like me! Can you believe that? I'm not the only one!"

"Ven-"

"You'd like them Tay. Terra is kind of like you. He looks after me y'know? And Aqua is so smart. And strong. They both are. Smart and strong," Ven pauses then turns his head looking over at Zack his brow furrowed. "Tay, why did you have to die?"

"Ven, you hit your head really hard," Zack explains slowly not wanting to alarm Ven. "I'm not Tay. I'm Zack. Don't you recognize me? We fought the Hydra together."

"Zack?" Ven echoes. "But-but...My head hurts Tay. It really hurts." Ven clutches his head closing his eyes tight.

Sighing Zack pulls Ven close and rubs his shoulder trying to comfort him. "I know Ven. We'll get out of here real soon, I promise."

Ven is quiet except for an occasional moan of pain. A few minutes later, Zack feels him relax slightly. "Tay," Ven says quietly. "Can I tell you something?"

Zack can't bring himself to tell Ven he is wrong again and just sighs. "Yes, of course you can Ven."

Ven takes a deep breath. "I lov-"

Light suddenly floods their hole in the rubble and both of them blink and look up to see a worried Herc looking down at them. His face breaks into a relieved grin as he tosses the massive piece of rock he had just lifted behind him. "Zack! Ven!" He shouts happily and then turning his head he shouts, "Guys! I found them! Their ok!" Herc turns back to them. "You two are ok, right?"

"We've been better," Zack says with a thin smile. "But we'll live. Right Ven?"

Zack looks back at Ven who is staring at him confused. "Zack..."

"Oh thank god."

Zack looks up again to see Aqua with tears in her eyes next to Herc. Half a second behind her, Terra comes up next to her and crouches down to get a good look at them.

"We'll have you out in no time," Terra says and he, Herc, and Aqua work quickly to clear enough debris to move the pillar over Ven and Zack so they can get out. While they are doing this, Zack turns his attention back to Ven who is still staring at him.

"Ven, do you know who I am?" Zack asks and Ven nods.

"You're Zack," Ven replies is a tired voice.

Zack smiles. "Glad you remember me now."

They both jump slightly at the crash from Herc pushing the pillar out of the way. Now able to stand, Zack gets up before bending back down to help Ven. He places Ven's arm on his shoulder and wraps his good arm around his waist pulling him to his feet. Walking Ven over to the edge of the hole they are in, Terra reaches down and gently lifts Ven out. Once Terra released Ven to Aqua, who swarms him like a mother hen tending to the wound on the back of his head, he reaches back down to help Zack clamber out. Zack carefully makes his way down the pile of rubble to solid ground with Herc and Terra following close behind.

Zack looks around and spots Ven with Aqua sitting in the shade of one of the few walls still standing. Aqua's hand is on the back of Ven's head and a green light appears. With a sigh, Zack sits heavily on a piece of marble and looks at his broken wrist.

"I'll heal that for you," Terra says sitting beside him. Terra's fingers are gentle as they examine Zack's wrist, but he still grimaces in pain. "Alright Zack," Terra says, "This is going to hurt."

Nodding his head wearily, Zack looks away and a moment later Terra turns his wrist hard putting it back in its proper place. Zack groans in pain through gritted teeth.

"I'll get you and Ven some water," Herc says almost to himself looking for something to make himself feel useful. He hurries off towards the city.

Zack looks back at his wrist that is still bleeding, but now isn't pointing the wrong way. "Curaga," Terra says and a green light from his hand falls on Zack's wrist and the bleeding stops.

Feeling his wrist slowly healing from the magic, Zack sits quietly for a moment before asking, "Terra, who's Tay?"

Terra immediately stiffens and doesn't look up to meet Zack's gaze. "Tay was a friend of Ven's a long time ago."

"He died?"

"Yes," Terra says. "How did you know?"

"Ven, he must have hit his head really hard because for awhile he thought that I was Tay," Zack replies.

Terra glances at him his brow furrowed. Then he nods, "That must have been what he meant."

"What?" Zack asks curiously.

Terra releases the magic, but doesn't release Zack's hand. "At the end of your match with Ven, did you notice anything strange about him?" Terra rummages through a bag at his feet while Zack thinks back.

"Now that you mention it, he gave me a really strange look when he knocked my helmet off," Zack says. "At the time I thought he was just worried he had hurt me."

"After the match he said something to me that I didn't understand until now," Terra says pulling a long bandage out of the bag. "He was talking about how much you look like Tay." Zack looks up startled and Terra begins to carefully wrap his wrist. "I never met Tay, Zack. But from what Ven has told me about him, he has messy black hair like you and from what I've seen he had a personality like your's as well. That's why he thought you were Tay. But your eyes are blue, and Tay's were green I think."

Zack soaks this in while Terra finishes bandaging his wrist. When he is done he says, "Don't use your wrist for a couple days. Magic healed it, but not completely."

Zack nods he understands then turns to walk over to the others."Hold on Zack," Terra says. "There is one more thing." Zack turns back and looks at Terra waiting. Terra frowns slightly scratching his head like he isn't sure what to say. "Zack, Tay and Ven were very close. Tay...was more than a best friend to Ven. He...uh..."

"He loved him."

"How did you...?" Terra says surprised

"Something Ven was trying to say," Zack explains before walking over to Ven who is still sitting in the shade now sipping on a cup of water Herc had brought him. Zack and Terra join Aqua and Herc who are standing next to him and Herc hands Zack a cup which Zack eagerly drinks from washing away the dryness in his mouth left by all the dust.

"It's all gone."

They all turn in surprise to see Phil in the doorway that leads to the city with a crushed expression. He walks to them with his eyes trained on the pile of rubble where his coliseum used to be. Once he reaches them he pries his eyes away and looks at them sadly. "Are you all ok?"

"We're fine Phil," Aqua replies.

"Phil!" Herc shouts catching the satyr's attention. They all look at him and he plays with the hem of his toga nervously. "Was that him? Did he send the lightning bolt?"

"Yep," Phil says leading Herc away from the others. "That was your father." He leads Herc over to the pile of rubble before turning back. "Oi! Terra, Aqua! Front and center!"

"He probably wants us to talk to Herc about being a hero," Aqua says to Terra who nods in agreement. "We'll be right back, ok?" She says to Ven lightly rubbing his hair.

"Ok," he replies quietly without looking up and when Terra and Aqua move away Zack downs the rest of his water and sits next to Ven with an exaggerated groan of exhaustion. Ven still doesn't look up, keeping his head down, and his eyes trained his lap.

"Terra told me about Tay," Zack says trying to break the tension. Unfortunately, Ven just ducks his head lower and doesn't respond. "I'm sorry, Ven." Ven just shrugs still not saying anything. Zack sits quietly for a few moments plucking up the courage to speak again. "Y'know, I was really scared for you when you wouldn't wake up," Zack finally says. "There was all this blood and I didn't know what to do."

Ven lifts his head slightly and mumbles, "Sorry I scared you."

"I'm not mad," Zack says. "I'm happy you are okay. I was just worried before because I...I think I...I think I..." Zack trails off looking away.

"You think what?" Ven asks and Zack lifts his head to meet Ven's blue eyes shining with hope.

"I think I like you," Zack says the words tumbling out before he can snatch them back. Ven stares at him stunned and then smiles slightly. That's all Zack needs. He leans close quickly kissing Ven lightly on the lips. It only lasts a couple of seconds, but it stretches on for an eternity. Ven leans in closer and Zack lifts his hand to Ven's cheek. When they break apart, Zack gently rubs Ven's flushed cheeks feeling happier than ever. And guiltier than ever. Letting out a sigh, Zack drops his hand and stands.

Ven jumps to his feet as well. "What's wrong Zack?"

"I'm sorry Ven," Zack mumbles turning away.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For kissing you," Zack says sadly. "I shouldn't have...it wasn't right...I can't do that."

"I liked it," Ven says moving to stand in front of Zack trying to look him in the eye, but Zack averts his gaze. "It felt right to me."

"I liked it too," Zack admits looking everywhere except Ven. "But I have to go."

He moves to walk away and Ven grabs his hand stopping him. "I thought you wanted to train with Phil," Ven says quietly.

"The coliseum is destroyed and I can't fight with my wrist like this anyways," Zack replies making no move to pull his hand back.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know," Zack admits. "But I have to go. I'm sorry Ven, I really am."

Ven is quiet for a moment. Then, "Promise me you will go home."

"What?"

"You said that the others you escaped with are on a different world," Ven says. "Go back to them. I'm sure they miss you."

Zack turns to face Ven to see he is dead serious. Without giving it a second thought Zack agrees just happy Ven isn't furious. "I promise. I'll go home and maybe one day I'll see you again."

"I'd like that Zack," Ven says softly.

"Me too," Zack says. Ven lets go of his hand and they stand staring at eachother for a moment. Then, without words, they both move in and their lips lock in another kiss more passionate than their first. Zack breaks it seeing the disappointment in Ven's eyes and turning away quickly to keep Ven from seeing the same reflected in his own eyes. "Goodbye, Ven."

"Goodbye, Zack."

Zack walks away keeping his eyes set straight ahead, he wouldn't be able to keep moving forward if he looked back one more time. As he leaves the ruins of the coliseum far behind, he walks alone down a long and winding road. It is going to take a long time to find a way home, but Zack is in no rush. He needs time alone to think. He had kissed Ven. A boy. Going home would be hard. Facing Ven again, if he ever go the chance, would be hard. It's easier to just keep walking away.

"Ven, where is Zack going?" Terra is behind him, but Ven doesn't turn still staring at the doorway to the city that Zack had disappeared through.

"He's going home," Ven says quietly feeling his voice crack slightly.

"Ven, we saw you and him-"

"Don't Terra," Ven says interrupting him. "It doesn't matter. He's leaving."

"I'm sorry Ven," Terra says placing a heavy hand on Ven's shoulder. "Let's go home as well."

Ven nods and allows Terra to lead him back to Aqua and the others to say goodbye before speeding away from Olympus and away from Zack.

...

"Master Eraqus we're back!" Terra calls out to the silent castle as they walk into the sitting room. After a moment they can hear his footsteps coming down the stairs. With a groan of exhaustion, Ven falls onto the couch. He stretches out taking up the whole thing and then rolls on his side away from the others so his face is buried in the back cushion. Terra and Aqua sit with less dramatics and wait for Master Eraqus to come to them.

"Welcome back, did you enjoy the coliseum?" Master Eraqus talks as he walks down the hall towards the sitting room. "I hope Phil didn't work you too hard. He can overdo it some- Ventus! Is that blood?"

Ven turns his head slightly and sits up as Master Eraqus rushes over concerned. "I'm fine," he says but that doesn't stop Master Eraqus from grabbing his head and turning it to inspect the blood stained hair on the back of his head.

"I already healed him Master Eraqus. He's fine," Aqua says soothingly to her mentor. Master Eraqus doesn't take her word for it instead finishing his own thorough investigation before releasing Ven.

"What happened?" He asks looking around at all of them.

Aqua is the first to speak up saying, "An evil god of that world, Hades, set a monster called the Hydra on the coliseum. With Herc and Zack, two boys that were training with us, we fought and won. But the monster destroyed the coliseum and Ven and Zack got buried in the rubble." Terra notices Ven look away at the mention of Zack. He feels a twinge of empathy knowing how Ven is feeling.

Master Eraqus nods slowly, the frantic air that he had had since finding out that Ven had been hurt calms. "I've heard of Hades from Phil. He has been giving that world trouble for as long as anyone can remember. But what was he trying to accomplish with the Hydra?"

"He was just pissed that I wasn't listening to him," Ven says. "He wanted me to let him awaken the darkness inside me or something. He said it would make me a better fighter."

"He did what!" Master Eraqus shouts angrily making Ven jump on surprise. "What did you do?"

"I-I said no," Ven stammers. "And got away from him as fast as I could."

Master Eraqus sinks into a chair with his hand over his eyes. "Go to your room Ventus."

"What? Why?" Ven asks. "What did I do?"

"Now Ventus!" Master Eraqus says in a tone that keeps Ven from arguing any further. Sulking, Ven storms out and stomps his way upstairs. Only when the loud banging of his bedroom door being slammed shut is heard do Aqua and Terra turn to their master.

Master Eraqus raises his head from his hand and leans forward in his chair. "Terra, Aqua, I can not tell you everything, it is not my place to burden you," Master Eraqus says very seriously to the two of them. "But I must tell you this: Master Yen Sid was very serious when he said that Ventus could bring a good or evil change to the worlds. Right now it is impossible to tell which will come, and that is why I and you as well must do everything we can to protect Ventus from any darkness. If he were to be touched by anymore darkness the results would be disastrous."

Neither Terra nor Aqua know what to say. Aqua is the first to speak up saying, "Master, Ven would never do anything evil. He wouldn't. And of course we will protect him."

Terra jumps in saying, "He's like our little brother, we won't let anything dark harm him."

Master Eraqus tries to smile. "It eases this old heart to hear your optimism. Thank you. Now you must be tired from this long day. Why don't we all turn in?"

Terra and Aqua comply standing and following their master to the stairs to the second floor. "Please do not mention anything to Ventus," Master Eraqus says to them. "He is better off not knowing. It would only cause him to worry." Both Aqua and Terra promise not to say anything to Ven and they all go their separate ways at the top of the stairs for a good night's sleep.

* * *

**Soooooo I know I said last chapter that this would take forever for me to get out. Well...I lied. Some stuff happened at school today and we got sent home early so I had a couple extra hours to write and those couple hours stretched into like 6 because I didn't want to do any homework. So yeah. **

**OK! So Ven and Zack. 3 This was just a taste of what is to come. Yes I know I'm sappy and cheesy. I'm not very good at lovey scenes. I'd much rather write action scenes but whatever!**

**Alright so this story has officially been renamed **_**The Dark Seeker Sage: MEKA**_ **and I've also changed the summary to reflect what this story is about better because when I first started I had no fricking clue what I was writing.**

**If anyone out there is actually reading this**

**#1 you're awesome**

**#2 I hope you liked this chapter**

**and #3 I feel like giving you a hint about what's to come in the next chapter:**

**Two new main characters will be introduced. They are ****not** **OCs but like Ven they have a different story then in the games. And they will change MEKA for the better :)**


	16. Sunrise, Spells, and Streetrats

Chapter 16 _Sunrise, Spells, and Streetrats_

The next morning Ven wakes with a start and sits up looking around for what awakened him. For a moment he thinks he sees those yellow eyes in the corner of his dark room again, but when he looks again they are gone. He shakes his head mentally scolding himself. Terra had said there is nothing to fear and Ven isn't about to let his imagination freak him out. He lies back down with a sigh and glances at the clock next to his bed. 5:17 _Great._ He thinks to himself. _I'm up before the sun._ He closes his eyes and tries to drift back to sleep, but he is too awake now and gives up. He stares at the ceiling and all he can think about is Zack. Zack holding him close under the coliseum, Zack kissing him so gently, Zack walking away.

Trying to quell those thoughts, Ven kicks of the covers and stands, stretching his arms high above his head. In his bare feet, he pads slowly to the window and raises the curtain slightly to peek out. There is just a hint of pink on the dark horizon and he remembers the last time he had watched the sunrise. He had been on Carinol and he remembered the soft light pushing away the chill of the night. _I wonder if it looks the same here._ The view from the window is obstructed by the mountains and Ven turns away quickly putting on his shoes and running out into the hall still in his pajamas.

The castle is silent so early and Ven moves like a ghost heading out the front door without a sound. Outside, he looks to the sky and sees it lighter than before. Now in a hurry, Ven runs following the path up the mountain. He passes the evil gold rings he had trained with and gives them a dirty look as he goes past. In a few minutes he reaches the flat top and pauses to catch his breath.

When he looks up the sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon and with a smile he walks forward and sits on the edge. From his perch, he can watch as the rising sun lights up the sleeping world below him. His smile widens. Sunrises always calmed him and made him feel safe and this one is one of the most beautiful he has ever seen. Ven doesn't move for hours watching as his friends wake up in the castle below him. He can see them moving around inside and Master Eraqus staring out the window of his study deep in thought. Ven stays where he is until Aqua walks out the front door calling his name.

Ven goes to race back down the path down the mountain, but something out of the corner of his eye catches his attention. He turns to look, but there is nothing. With a shrug he bounds down the path to greet Aqua. If he had glanced back one more time he might have caught sight of an old man stepping out of the shadows and disappearing through a dark portal.

When Ven reaches Aqua, she laughs and asks, "Ven, how long have you been up?"

"Uh a couple hours I think," Ven says. "I was watching the sunrise."

"Well hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is already ready and you better eat lots, Master Eraqus has a big lesson planned for you today."

…

"Today I am going to teach you the basic techniques and principles of spell casting," Master Eraqus says to Ven as they stand facing each other in the large inside sparring room.

"Awesome!" Ven says with a grin, pumping his fist in the air.

"I'm glad you are excited," Master Eraqus says with a small smile. He leads Ven to two chairs on the side of the room. When they are both seated he begins. "Magic comes in all different types. Most worlds have their own unique magic that is only possible there. One day you may wish to travel to every world and learn the magic there, but that is for when you are older. Today I am going to teach you about elemental magic. It is the most common form of magic and all keyblade wielders posses the ability to use it.

Elemental magic is very simple just call the name of the element you desire and it will appear." Master Eraqus holds out his hand. "Fire." A small flame appears in his hand flickering for a few moments before Master Eraqus ends the spell. "Now there are five basic elements to know. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, Aero, and Cure. Each has three incantations that vary the power of your spell. It is important to use the right incantation for the situation. If you are trying to light a candle, using Firaga would be disastrous."

Ven nods to show Master Eraqus that he is listening and understanding.

"Along with being more powerful spells, the higher level spells require more energy. Once you have trained hard such spells will be easy for you, but as a beginner you are not to use spells higher than the first level. Do you understand me Ventus?"

"Yes," Ven says. "Now can we get to actually doing magic?"

"Yes Ventus, we can begin the practical part of the lesson. Follow me." Master Eraqus stands and Ven does the same following him to the center of the room. "Do you see that dummy?" Ven looks where Master Eraqus is pointing and sees the dummy looking a little worse for wear. This is obviously not its first magic lesson. "To cast a spell simply hold your keyblade out like this." Master Eraqus summons his keyblade pointing the tip at the dummy. "When you call out your spell, that element will shoot out of the tip of your keyblade and hit your target. Watch carefully now."

Master Eraqus takes a breath and says calmly, "Fire." A fireball bursts out the end of his keyblade and shoots across the room hitting the dummy in the chest. Ven raises his eyebrows impressed by the perfect hit.

Master Eraqus takes a step over and motions for Ven to stand in front of the dummy. A little apprehensive, Ven steps forward and summons his keyblade. Pointing it at the dummy he tries to say with confidence, "Fire."

A small fireball shoots out the end of his keyblade and flies wildly high hitting the ceiling. Ven rubs his keyblade arm with a frown. The recoil from the spell had been greater than he had anticipated. Looking up at the spot his fireball had hit Ven says to Master Eraqus, "Sorry."

"Don't worry, this room is well protected. You won't hurt anything here with magic," Master Eraqus says waving off Ven's apology. "Try again."

…

"Alright Ven that is enough!" Master Eraqus shouts worriedly and Ven lets his arm drop exhausted. For the past three hours he had been trying each of the elemental spells minus Cure on the dummy that is somehow still standing. It was annoyingly repetitive and tiring. Master Eraqus had stepped out for a moment and Ven had gotten bored in his absence. He had decided to see how many fireballs he could send out in thirty seconds. The toll it had taken had been greater than he had expected and he sinks to the ground exhausted as Master Eraqus hurries over.

Master Eraqus kneels beside him and hands him a small blue bottle. "Drink this," Master Eraqus commands. Ven downs it in one gulp and shivers as he feels his energy return. Curious as to what Master Eraqus had just given him, Ven turns to ask and flinches seeing Master Eraqus' disapproving gaze. "You are not strong enough for rapid spell casting like that Ventus. Do not try anything like that again until I tell you are ready."

"Yes, Master Eraqus," Ven says and then quickly changes the subject. "What was that stuff you gave me?"

"This is ether," Master Eraqus says holding up another bottle of the stuff. "It replenishes the energy you lose during spellcasting. In battle you may have to use a lot of magic and ether allows you to regain your energy instantly instead of waiting for your body to naturally fix itself. Here." He hands Ven the bottle. "I want you to always have one with you in case you need it."

Ven takes the bottle and puts it in his jacket pocket. "So can I keep training?"

"Yes, Ventus," Master Eraqus says standing and helping Ven to his feet. "Just remember to give yourself time between spells to regain your energy." Nodding, Ven raises his keyblade back to point at the dummy.

"Blizzard!"

…

"Today I need the three of you to go to Agrabah," Master Eraqus says to his three students over breakfast a few days later. "The Sultan there, a very kind man, has appointed a new royal vicar. Agrabah is a world still trusting of keyblade wielders and it is important that we keep up good relations with the leaders there."

"So we are going to exchange pleasantries?" Ven scoffs frowning at the idea. "That's the big mission? Go rub elbows with the rich and famous?"

"Yes Ventus," Master Eraqus says disapprovingly. "You are going to go and be polite and respectful to the Sultan."

Turning to face Terra and Aqua, who are hiding their displeasure with the mission better than Ventus, Master Eraqus says to them, "The Sultan knows you are coming; he will introduce you to his royal vicar. Be courteous but observant. I would like to hear your opinion of this man when you get back. While you are there, look around and see what state the world is in. As far as I know, the heartless have not infiltrated Agrabah, but that information is second hand. I would like a full report of everything you find when you get back."

Ven groans and makes a face at the idea of all the work Master Eraqus is giving them. Master Eraqus looks over at him frowning at his continued grumbling.

"I would have thought, Ventus, that you would be excited to visit another world," Master Eraqus says.

"After Olympus," Ven said rubbing the back of his head, "I'm thinking visiting other worlds isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Be that as it may," Master Eraqus says, "I think you will enjoy Agrabah. It is a lively place full of all different kinds of people. But remember, although the Sultan trusts keyblade wielders, the other inhabitants may not. Under no circumstances are you to reveal that you are keyblade wielders to anyone but the Sultan and his royal vicar if he deems it appropriate. Do you understand me?"

Terra, Aqua, and Ven's heads all bob up and down as one.

"Good. I will have dinner prepared when you return. Good luck."

Master Eraqus stands and the three hasten to do the same. They follow him out of the kitchen and to the front doors. He stands on the steps outside while they activate their armor and throw their keyblades into the air. As the keyblades return as gliders, Master Eraqus calls, "Ventus!"

Ven turns his head back in the direction of his master. "Be polite!"

…

"It's too hot," Ven complains taking off his jacket and carrying it in his hand. Terra rolls his eyes.

"We've only been here a minute and you're already being a pain in the ass."

Ven mumbles something under his breath.

"What did you just call me?" Terra asks a hard note in his voice.

"Boys!" Aqua exclaims in exasperation. "None of us want to be here, but this is our job so stop squabbling like children."

That shuts them up and in silence the trio crests the last sand dune and sees the walled in city laid out before them. Aqua takes the lead while the two boys, still sulking, walk behind her where they can shove each other around a little without her noticing. Their little spat from before is forgotten however when they walk through the open front gate of Agrabah.

The shade from the city's walls and buildings make it slightly cooler in the city than the desert outside. The streets are lined with shops selling everything from funny smelling spices to how-to guides for fire eating. Ven may have grumbled about coming, but he has to admit he is enthralled by the city as he follows his friends pushing through the large crowd that bustles around the marketplace. He twists his head from one side to the other and then back over his shoulder trying to see and hear everything.

"Hey Blondie! You hungry? Best fruit in town right here."

Distracted by the fat man trying to selling him a bag of mangos with a smile minus a couple teeth, Ven turns to find himself alone in the crowd with Terra and Aqua nowhere in sight. "Shit." He swears to himself and begins to roughly push his way through the crowd which parts unhappily for him.

Ven stops to crane his neck to look over the heads in front of him and relaxes when he spots a flash of blue hair. With his best manners, he shoves his way through the crowd ignoring the curses he gets.

"Aqua!" Ven calls and as she turns he can see her look of worry melt into relief. With a final effort, he breaks free of the thickest part of the crowd and stumbles up next to her. "Where's Terra?"

A large hand claps him on the shoulder. "Looking for you. You can't wander off like that Ven," Terra says as he comes up behind Ven.

"I didn't wander off! I just got distracted!"

Aqua sighs, "Whatever just make sure it doesn't happen again. Now c'mon. We shouldn't keep the Sultan waiting all day."

She takes the lead once more heading off in the direction of the palace that looms higher than any other building in the city. They have only taken a couple steps what a shout catches their attention, "Stop! Thief!"

A shop owner, whose turban is falling over his eyes, is pointing over the crowd in their direction and shouting while a group of six seriously scary looking dudes with curved swords begin to move towards them.

"What did you do now Ven?" Terra asks with a sigh as the crowd hurries to get out of the way of the soldiers.

"Me?! Why would you assume I did anything?"

"Because it's always-" Terra is cut off by a small blur crashing into him. The blur falls back from the collision and Ven can now see it is a young brown haired boy clutching a loaf of bread. Terra looks down at him surprised and opens his mouth to question the boy, but before he can another boy with silver hair bursts through the crowd and grabs the brunette's hand. The second boy drags his friend after him as they continue to run down street.

"Sorry!" The brunette boy calls back over his shoulder still clutching the loaf of stolen bread. He flashes them a quick smile before disappearing after his silver haired friend into the crowd.

"Streetrats!" The soldiers call as they try to push past Aqua, Terra, and Ven and continue their chase of the boys. Before they can make it past however, Ven sticks his foot out in front of the first man and the large man trips. His companions collide with him and they all fall into a tangled pile on the ground. Amazingly, none of the them managed to impale each other with their swords when they fell. Ven moves to Terra and Aqua who are shocked. "Ven, why did you do that?" Aqua asks angrily.

"I didn't want those assholes to get their hands on those kids," Ven replies. "But you can yell at me later. Now we have to move."

But they had left it too late to escape and Ven feels a sweaty hand grab him by the back of his shirt and yank him off his feet. "Interfering with law enforcement is a capital offense boy." A voice snarls in his ear as Ven twists to see that it is the large man he had tripped holding him.

"Hey! Let him go!" Terra shouts but the other soldiers had gotten to their feet and step forward. They hold out their swords threateningly to keep Terra from coming to Ven's aid.

The man speaks in his ear again, his hot smelly breath hitting him in the side of his face, "I suggest you tell your friends to back off otherwise they will be joining you."

Ven can see that both Aqua and Terra's hands are twitching as they contemplate summoning their keyblades. "Guys! Go," Ven says forcefully, "I'll be fine. Just go see...that guy. I'm sure he can help."

He can tell from Terra's face that he is still thinking about his keyblade but their eyes meet and Ven shakes his head slightly. Terra gets the message and he and Aqua take a step back. "C'mon." The soldier holding him says forcefully and spins him around pushing him in the direction of the palace. The other soldiers form a loose circle around them and Ven is forced to march away with his captors. Ven looks back past the soldiers and sees Terra and Aqua watching him go anxiously.

* * *

**Hmmm who are these two mysterious children? I wonder if they are important...**

**:)**

**Agrabah is my favorite world 'cause Aladdin is my favorite movie. Genie is like the best character ever. Like ever. Sadly I don't think he will make an appearance during Terra, Aqua, and Ven's visit.**

**You may be thinking "Holy crap! Didn't she just posted a chapter yesterday? What is she doing with another one already done?" Honestly, I don't really know I've just been on like the opposite of writer's block for the past couple of days.**

**Mexi: Appreciate your reviews as always! Lea and Isa won't come into this story for a while. (like probably a long while) But I am going to try to have almost every character in the KH series in this story at some point. **

**Zephyr26: Your review really made me smile! I'm glad you are liking the story!**

**Sorry this chapter was a little short and kinda all over the place. I really wanted to leave you with my latest cliffhanger!**

**So what's going to happen to Ven in the next chapter? Prison? Beheading? Getting tied up, thrown off a cliff, and left to drown?**

**Well you will just have to wait for the next chapter! Review and follow and favorite and all that crap!**


	17. Kurt Zisa

Chapter 17 _Kurt Zisa_

_I've been in worse dungeons before._ Ven thinks to himself as he turns on the spot taking in his new surroundings. The stupid guards had dumped him in this large pit like room without even bothering to chain him up. Their mistake.

Ven has complete confidence in Terra and Aqua getting him out of the current situation, but he wants to prove to them that he can look after himself. Determined to find his own way out of the dungeon, Ven walks around the entire room trying to take in every detail. There is a grate at the top of the cell letting some sunlight through, but it's too high for him to reach. The walls of the cell are covered in slime putting climbing out of the question. Of course he could just summon his glider and fly out, but Master Eraqus had given him, Terra, and Aqua strict orders not to let anyone but the Sultan and his Royal Vizier see their keyblades.

Pushing the idea of escape through the grate out of his head, Ven turns back to the dungeon peering into the corners for a way out. It takes him a moment to notice the shadows in the corner are staring back.

"Woah!" Ven cries jumping back in shock.

A rasping cackle echoes around the dungeon as an old, decrepit man steps out of the shadows leaning heavily on a walking stick. "Scared of a little old man are you now boy?" He wheezes and shots a large toothy grin at Ven. His teeth are revolting, yellow and black, and in some cases just plain missing.

"Of course not!" Ven snaps angry at the amused expression on the old man's face. "Who are you?"

"A lowly prisoner, like yourself. But together, perhaps we can be something greater," replies the old man hobbling closer. Ven takes half a step back trying not to gag in disgust at the stench coming off the old man. He must have been in this dungeon for weeks to smell as bad as he does. The old man ignores his revulsion leaning close to Ven while still gripping his walking stick. "There is a cave, boy. A cave of wonders. Filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams."

"Really?" Ven says deep in thought. He spaces out for a moment thinking about mountains of glittering gold. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, every kind of jewel at his feet. With that much money he would have power. The power to make sure no one took advantage of him ever again. With enough money he could buy Prince Keric's kingdom out from under him and make his tormenter kiss his boots as he sat on a throne with a satisfied smile.

"But there's a catch."

The old man's voice jerks Ven out of his daydream. As the image he had created dissolves, Ven wonders at the place his thoughts had taken him to. _I don't want to be like that...do I?_ Ven shakes his head to dispel the dark thoughts.

"What's the catch?" Ven asks now suspicious.

"Alas I only have half the key to open the cave," the old man says pulling out of his tattered clothes half of a golden beetle. "Without the second half of the medallion, the cave will never unlock. I need a young man with strong legs to go after it for me. If you were to find for me the second half, the reward would be tremendous."

Ven considers for a moment. Hunting for treasure sounds like a lot of fun, but he can see a large glaring hole in the crazy old man's plan. "Ah, one problem. It's out there and we're in here."

The old man cackles slightly. He walks away from Ven to the wall of the dungeon. "Things aren't always what they seem," the old man says tapping the wall with his walking stick. To Ven's surprise, a secret door swings open and light from the outside shines through. "So, do we have a deal?" The old man asks leering at Ven. He holds his hand out.

Ven hesitates not really knowing what he is agreeing to, but the lure of treasure is too great. With a shrug, he reaches out his hand to grasp the old man's.

_BANG!_

The sound of the door of the dungeon slamming open makes them jump. Ven turns in surprise towards the sound then turns back to find himself alone beside a solid wall with no hint that a door had ever existed. "Uh?" Ven says confused to the empty air. "Where did he go?"

Two guards enter the dungeon, different ones than the ones who had captured Ven, and beckon him over. Wary of what they want from him Ven moves across the dungeon cautiously.

"Hurry up boy," one of the guards calls impatiently. "The Sultan doesn't like being kept waiting."

_The Sultan!_ Ven relaxes. He can tell the Sultan who he really is and hopefully get the charges against him dropped. Without a word, Ven walks over to the guards by the door. He allows himself to be led out of the dungeon flanked by the two guards, and follows them into the palace upstairs.

...

"I can't even tell you how sorry I am for this misunderstanding," the short Sultan says talking quickly. "I feel just awful that my guards arrested your friend."

"There is no harm done sir," Aqua says respectfully. She and Terra are walking behind the Sultan who is leading them through the palace as fast as his short legs can take him.

"Ven was at fault as well," Terra adds. "He shouldn't have interfered with matters of this world. I am sorry sir, he forgets the rules sometimes."

"It is quite alright," the Sultan says waving his hands to shake off Terra's apology. "He is young. I am the one that should be apologizing. Imagine! Arresting a keyblade wielder! Those guards will be held responsible I assure you."

They have reached the grand throne room and the Sultan quickly climbs up the small steps and settles himself on his throne brushing the feather on his crown like turban back to it's proper position. "Now then," he says clapping his hands once he is settled. "Your friend Ven should be here shortly, but let us begin. I would like to introduce you to my Royal Vizier, Jafar. Jafar!" The Sultan calls out for Jafar, but the other man does not appear. "Hmm. I wonder where he could have gone? Jafar? Jafar!"

Terra glances over at Aqua who glances at him as well. Master Eraqus always told them not to judge people before they got to know them, but Terra can't help but think that the Sultan is a weak leader. It has been Terra's experience that those who rule only because of their royal bloodline don't make the most competent leaders.

"Jafar! Where could he be?" The Sultan asks to no one in particular now frowning in annoyance. The door across the room opens and they all look up expecting to see the Royal Vizier, but instead Ven walks in with two guards watching him closely.

"Ven!" Aqua says relieved that he is alright. Ven sees her and Terra and immediately starts to walk to them. The larger of the two guards stops him quickly with a tight hand on his shoulder. Ven turns to glare daggers at the guard and opens his mouth probably ready to start cursing when the Sultan calls out in a commanding voice.

"Razoul! Release him at once. I told you he was to be released. All charges are dropped."

"Yes sire," the guard says releasing Ven and bowing to his Sultan.

With one last dirty look over his shoulder, Ven walks with his head high to Terra and Aqua who smile happy to have him back. The Sultan waves away the guards and jumps down from his throne to greet Ven. "I am terribly sorry for the mistake of my guards," the Sultan says shaking Ven's hand with both of his. "I feel awful that you were put in that horrible dungeon."

Terra holds his breath wondering if Ven was going to yell or swear at the Sultan. To his surprise, Ven smiles apologetically at the Sultan. "It is I who should be sorry sir. Your guards were merely doing their job and I interfered without thinking. It was my own fault I got arrested."

"Well, I'm glad there are no hard feelings," the Sultan says good naturedly climbing back onto his throne. The door opens once more and this time a tall and thin man with a golden staff enters with his sweeping robes giving him an air of authority. "Oh Jafar!" The Sultan exclaims. "Where have you been? I was calling for you."

"My apologies sire," Jafar says with a stiff bow. "I was otherwise occupied."

"Come over here Jafar!" The Sultan says eagerly not really listening to Jafar. "These are the keyblade wielders I was telling you about."

Jafar walks over with a sneer on his face. "Oh yes, the heroes of the worlds." His voice is dripping with contempt and Terra frowns. "It is a pleasure to meet you all," Jafar says leering over them. For a moment, the eyes of the snake head on top of his staff seemed to glow and Terra feels himself compelled to look at them. The feeling vanishes as soon as Jafar turns to the Sultan and says, "Sire, are you sure they are who they say they are?"

"Why Jafar! How could you even suggest that?" The Sultan exclaims chastising his Royal Vizier.

Jafar does not react and continues. "Things are not always what they seem, sire. For all we know they could be imposters deceiving you in order to break the boy out of jail."

Ven does a double take at Jafar's words. His eyes narrow suspiciously as he looks at Jafar more closely. Does he know the man in the dungeon or is it just a coincidence that he had used the same phrase?

The Sultan looks from Jafar to the keyblade wielders with a confused expression. "I guess you have a point there Jafar..." The Sultan says quietly. He looks to Terra, Aqua, and Ven with a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry to have to ask, but would you mind?"

"Not at all sir," Aqua says smoothing the situation out quickly. "We understand it is necessary to be cautious." She raises her arm, and Terra and Ven mimic her raising their arms as well. In simultaneous flashes, their respective keyblades appear.

"Splendid!" The Sultan says clapping his hands together as he takes in the three keyblade wielders. "Are you satisfied Jafar?"

"Quite," Jafar replies staring at them with the same sneer. His gaze falls on Ven and his sneer grows slightly larger.

"Daddy!" The little girl whine reaches them before the young girl, about seven years old, enters the throne room with a pout on her face.

"Jasmine, dear," the Sultan says to her as she walks to them. Her long black hair reaches to the middle of her back and is held out of her face by a teal headband with a large stone set in the middle. "Jasmine I am in the middle of a meeting. Go play in the garden with Rajah." As he says this he reaches out a hand to pet the baby tiger Jasmine has cuddled in her arms. Rajah growls slightly and paws at his hand.

With a frown at her father, Jasmine spins on her heels and walks away without argument. As she goes she looks curiously at the keyblade wielders. Before she can leave the throne room, the door bursts open and the guard Razoul hurries in. "Sire..." He forces out breathing hard from running. "In the bazaar...a monster...it's destroying everything."

"A monster!" The Sultan exclaims and his daughter Jasmine runs to his side with a fearful expression.

"Sir, with your permission, we will take care of whatever it is for you," Terra says hurriedly.

"You will?" The Sultan says in a relieved voice.

"Of course," Aqua says, and Ven nods in agreement.

"By all means, do what you can," the Sultan says taking Jasmine's hand. "I will have my guards clear the people out of harms way, but they won't interfere unless you require their assistance."

"Thank you sir," the three say together and hurry out of the throne room.

…

Outside the palace is a mob scene. Agrabah's inhabitants are running in all directions screaming in fear. Several of the Sultan's guards are doing their best to control the panic, but their efforts are mostly in vain.

"C'mon!" Terra shouts grabbing both Aqua and Ven's hands so not to lose them in the crowd. They rush through the crowd towards the entrance of the market they had been in before. It is like trying to swim upstream with all the people stampeding out of the bazaar. It takes them nearly two minutes to get inside the bazaar and once in, they pull up short staring in shock at the huge heartless that is the cause of all the commotion.

It is as tall as the buildings standing on two legs, but it has six arms two of which have curved swords. Its head is snake like with beady black eyes that have no trace of life in them.

All the people have escaped except for one last merchant whose arms were piled high with clay pots and lamps. The heartless has destroyed nearly every stand in the marketplace and has backed the unfortunate merchant into a corner where he stands shaking in fear.

"Hey!" Ven shouts catching the heartless' attention. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The large heartless turns to face them, and seeing his opening the merchant runs off still cradling his merchandise in his arms. Now with the heartless' attention solely on them, the three keyblade wielders summon their weapons and prepare to fight. Aqua is the first to make a move pointing her keyblade at the heartless.

"Thun-" Her spell is cut off by strange glowing rings that surround each of them for a moment before disappearing.

"What the fuck was that?" Ven asks looking down at himself for any injuries. Whatever it was had left him feeling weighted down for some reason.

"An anti-magic spell," Aqua says in a worried voice. "Only the strongest enemies can cast them. Ven, Terra, be careful. This is going to be a hard battle."

Steeling themselves for a battle with no magic, Terra, Aqua, and Ven run forward without fear to meet the six armed heartless head on. In two of its hands are orbs glowing in a similar way to the rings that had drained their magic. "Focus on those orbs," Terra says to them as he swings his keyblade at the nearest one. Terra's keyblade makes contact and the orb shrinks from the damage. Ven tries to follow his example while Aqua runs around to attack the other orb. As Ven whips his keyblade around to strike the orb, he fails to notice the curved sword slicing down at him. By luck, the sword and keyblade slam into each other and the collision knocks both of them slightly off target. Ven misses the orb by a few centimeters, but, although knocked of target, the heartless' sword lands a glancing cut on Ven's arm. With a hiss of pain, Ven jumps back gripping his cut arm.

The heartless also jumps back into the air while Terra comes to Ven's side. "Cura," Terra says quickly holding his hand over Ven's bleeding arm. Nothing happens. "Damn it!" Terra says remembering that they can't use magic.

"It's alright Terra. It doesn't hardly even hurt," Ven says trying to keep a grimace off his face. He looks past Terra and sees the heartless spinning in the air. "What is it do- Terra look out!"

Ven tackles Terra sending them both to the ground just in time for the heartless to fly over them like a spinning deadly frisbee. Spitting sand out of his mouth, Terra sits up to see the heartless make a large arc taking out a few more of the flimsy stalls in the marketplace. Once turned around, it flips head over heels to come spinning at them vertically this time. Both Terra and Ven don't have time to get up before the spinning heartless is nearly on top of them. They are saved from the devastating attack by Aqua who jumps in front of them with her keyblade raised in a block. The full force of the heartless' attack slams into her keyblade, and, while the heartless is deflected, the impact sends Aqua to the ground.

"Aqua!" Terra says worriedly getting to his feet and running to her side to help her to her feet.

"I'm fine Terra," Aqua says pulling her arm out of Terra's hand once she is back on her feet. Ven joins them and together they turn to face the heartless now back of the ground. The two orbs in its hands are less than half the size they used to be. Ven ignores the stinging pain in his arm following the others as they rush the heartless. It spins its curved swords at terrifying speeds, but they work together to dodge the swords. Ven and Aqua each land a hit on the orb on the right to make it fade out of existence, and Terra lands a powerful combo on the left one causing it to also disappear.

The effect is immediate. The weight of the anti-magic spell lifts while the heartless falls onto the sandy marketplace floor. Wasting no time, Terra, Aqua, and Ven attack the weakened heartless keeping it from rising to its feet again. Ven jumps onto the heartless' shoulder striking its head from above. Terra and Aqua take turns landing ground combos on its torso. Even though the heartless is taking massive damage, it finds the strength to fight back. Its head shoots out revealing that it has a long snake like neck. With quick movements, the snake like head on its long flexible neck snaps at Ven forcing him to jump down to avoid getting bitten.

The snapping head forces all three to back away, and now free of their attacks, the heartless rises to its feet. All its limbs curl in for a moment and a bright blue and red light envelopes it hardening into a spherical force field. It moves across the marketplace putting as much distance as possible between them. Terra takes the lapse in fighting to gently take Ven's arm, which he had been cradling close to his chest, and mutter, "Cura." The green light stops the flow of blood and soon the gash heals.

"Thanks," Ven says taking his arm back to inspect the newly repaired skin. But he doesn't have long because hovering fireballs suddenly appear out of thin air around them.

"Move!" Aqua commands and they scatter, each diving in a different direction as the fireballs spontaneously explode. When the explosions cease, they push themselves up from the ground trying to shake out the ringing in their ears. The heartless is still across the marketplace apparently content to avoid a physical fight. Just as they clamber back to their feet, tornados now appear around them and before they can react they are sent flying into the air.

The sky and ground spin past each other so fast Terra can no longer tell which way is up and which is down. He closes his eyes hoping for his tumbling flight to come to an end. He gets his wish as he slams into the broken pile of what used to be one of the stalls. The hard landing jars his arm sending his keyblade flying out of his hand. He opens his eyes just in time to see it skid across the ground and disappear behind a stall that has been left standing. With a groan, Terra quickly gets to his feet and moves to go after his keyblade.

To his surprise, from behind the stall, the silver haired boy from before crawls out and stands up with Terra's keyblade grasped in his little hands. Terra freezes completely shocked that the little boy can hold the keyblade. Cautiously, the boy walks towards him and stops right in front of him staring up at Terra who stares back. "Here," the silver haired boy says holding out Terra's keyblade by the middle of the shaft. "You dropped this."

Terra reaches out and grips the keyblade by its handle. Something, almost like an electric shock, travels through Terra's body and causes the hair on the back of his neck to stand up straight. The little boy's eyes widen in surprise and Terra wonders if he felt the same thing. They both remain still and silent for a moment before Terra says, "Thank you."

The boy nods with a serious expression taking his hand off Terra's keyblade. "You're welcome."

The boom and bright light of a fireball goes off behind Terra and he can see the boy's turquoise eyes widen in fear. "C'mon," Terra says ushering the young boy back to the stall he had been hiding behind before. As they hurry over, a small head pokes out from behind the stall to look at them. It is the brown haired boy that had run into Terra after stealing a loaf of bread. Terra ushers both boys back behind the stall and they crouch behind the counter. "Stay here ok?" Terra says urgently. Both boys nod with frightened eyes. "Don't worry, everything is going to be ok," Terra says standing and trying to give them a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back." With that, Terra runs off back towards the heartless and the continuing fight.

...

Aqua lands hard on her side after being sent flying by the tornado attack. She rolls to her feet and looks around quickly. She had been blown much closer to the heartless and Ven is getting to his feet a little ways away. Terra isn't nearby however and for a moment Aqua can't breathe, but she forces herself not worry. Terra can take care of himself and she has to focus on taking down this heartless. "Aqua! Where is Terra?" Ven comes running to her side, but she keeps her eyes trained on the heartless.

"I don't know Ven. We will find him once we defeat this thing," Aqua says before winding up and throwing her keyblade hard at the heartless encased in its forcefield. Her keyblade spins through the air perfectly balanced and strikes the forcefield in a solid hit. Unfortunately, the shield holds and sends Aqua's keyblade flying back like a boomerang. With a frown, she reaches out plucking it out of the air. "I don't think we can break through that forcefield with our keyblades," she says to Ven.

"What about magic?" Ven suggests.

"It's worth a shot," Aqua replies and they both point their keyblades at the heartless. "Thundaga."

Bolts of lightning slam into the heartless. The forcefield seems to do nothing as the heartless writhes in pain from the attack. Half a second behind Aqua, Ven calls out, "Blizzard!"

Like the bolts of lightning, the icicles pass through the forcefield and strike the heartless in the chest causing it to stumble. With a grin, Ven turns triumphantly to Aqua who keeps her face set in a determined expression. Following her lead, Ven turns back to the heartless and raises his keyblade again. "Fire."

"Blizzara."

"Thunder."

"Fira."

"Fire!"

"Thundaga."

"Blizzard!" Ven shouts and frowns angrily as the heartless stumbles, but still refuses to fall. "Just die already you stupid bastard!"

"Firaga!" Aqua shouts and a huge fireball explodes out of her keyblade and envelopes the heartless. When the blinding light fades, the heartless is still standing with its shield intact, but it is obviously wounded.

Without thinking, Ven copies Aqua shouting, "Firaga!" Another bright explosion hits the heartless, and with a pitiful noise it collapses to the ground as its forcefield disappears. The edges of Ven's vision go fuzzy, and without realizing he had fallen, Ven finds himself pushing himself up onto his hands and knees.

"Ven!" Aqua says gently helping him sit up. "Oh Ven, why did you do that? You weren't strong enough."

"I'll be ok," Ven says tiredly trying not to slur his words. "Go. Finish it off." Aqua looks from Ven to the heartless biting her lip. "Go Aqua. I'm fine."

Knowing she has to, Aqua gets to her feet and hurries to the heartless which is once again sitting on the ground. Now the only one left fighting, Aqua draws upon her anger at the heartless for hurting her friends for strength. The heartless raises its snake like head and hisses at her, challenging her to come closer.

Aqua leaps forward and the snake head lunges at her with its jaw open wide and its fangs gleaming in the sunlight. Aqua slashes with her keyblade knocking the head to the side and lands lightly in front of its torso. Before the snake head can recover, Aqua stabs the defenseless heartless through the chest with her keyblade. As she pulls her keyblade back, the heartless rises into the air and then explodes into little pieces of darkness that fade away while a soft pink heart rises up and disappears into the sky.

* * *

**Kurt Zisa is probably my fav boss battle. He is just such a cool heartless. I hate his no magic thing 'cause thats when I always die :(**

**Next chapter will explain who the kids are (I'm pretty sure that one is really obvious...) and what happened between Terra and the boy (again, I think it's obvious). **

**MLSoT: Go right ahead! The fact that you want to write a fanfiction of one of my fanfictions is super flattering. I'm also wicked curious so let me know when you write your story because I definitely want to read it.**

**Mexi: Yeah Ven helped the kids because they reminded him of himself having to steal food to survive. Aladdin actually isn't one of the kids but he was the inspiration for the bread stealing scene.**

**WHO ELSE IS OUT OF THEIR MINDS WITH EXCITEMENT ABOUT KH3? **

**I am sooooo excited! Ahhhh! OMG! Is this real life? Is this like finally actually happening? **

**The trailer was such a teaser! It didn't show anything about the story line :(**

**EEEP! I can't wait!**


	18. It Was an Accident

Chapter 18 _It Was an Acciden_t

Ven smiles tiredly as the heart from the heartless floats up and away. Aqua had done it, she had finally killed it. With fumbling fingers, Ven searches through the pockets of his jacket. After a moment, his clumsy fingers find their way around the neck of the bottle he had been looking for. Pulling the little blue bottle Master Eraqus gave him out of his pocket, Ven notices Terra hurrying quickly across the bazaar towards him.

Ven sighs in relief seeing that Terra is unhurt before turning his attention back to the bottle in his hands. After a couple tries Ven gets the cap off the bottle of ether and tips it bottoms up gulping it down in two mouthfuls. Everything snaps into focus immediately, and shoving the now empty bottle back into pocket, Ven stands stretching his muscles sore from fighting. Terra reaches him and opens his mouth with a slightly concerned expression, but before he can speak, Aqua's angry voice reaches their ears.

"Ventus! Don't you ever do that again!" Ven turns cringing to face a worried and angry Aqua whose eyes burn into his. Looking down guiltily, Ven tries to prepare himself for the lecture he is about to get. He still winces when Aqua continues to shout, "What were you thinking? That spell was way beyond your capabilities. Master Eraqus told you not to use 2nd level magic let alone 3rd level! You're lucky you didn't pass out. Did you even think before you-"

Aqua stops herself taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment. "Ven," she says more gently opening her eyes. "Are you alright?"

Ven nods quickly. "I'm fine Aqua. I drank an ether after you left."

The creases of worry on Aqua's forehead disappear. "Good, good," she says running her fingers through her short hair. Without warning she rounds on Terra. "What about you? Are you OK? I couldn't find you after we were all blown away."

"I'm perfectly fine Aqua," Terra says giving her a reassuring smile. "I just got blown in the other direction." He turns pointing towards where he had landed. "C'mon." He gestures for them to follow him and confused they fall into step behind him. "I was sidetracked because those two little-"

Suddenly, eight or nine bandit heartless pop into existence forming a loose circle around the three friends. They glare mischievously at them rocking back and forth on the balls of their feet with their curved swords raised. Terra, Aqua, and Ven react quickly and move to the center of the circle back to back.

"Ven, if you aren't strong enough yet, don't fight. We can handle this."

"For the last time Aqua, I'm fine!" And to prove his point he breaks away from them to face the nearest heartless which blocks his first swing.

Dragging his eyes away from anxiously watching Ven, Terra prepares to fight the two bandit heartless that are advancing on him in a menacing fashion. Their swords gleam in the bright sunlight as they both arc towards him. Terra easily deflects one then the other with his keyblade and before the heartless can recover he stabs the nearest one in the head causing it to fade immediately. Seeing the fate of its comrade, the second heartless hesitates for a moment before running away from Terra. Before he can give chase, two more bandits step in front of Terra brandishing their swords in a challenge. "Oh you want a piece of me," Terra says sneering at the weak heartless. In response, the slightly bigger of the two heartless charges forward. As it swings its sword at Terra, he spins to the right letting the sword pass right by him and catching the unfortunate heartless off balance in the chest with his keyblade. As it fades away Terra points his keyblade at the second and shouts, "Fira!" The heartless is killed instantly as the fireball explodes. Terra smirks but his proud expression shatters when a small shriek of terror makes him spin around.

The heartless that had escaped from him had crossed the bazaar and found the two boys who had been hiding behind one of the stalls. The silver haired boy and his friend are running as fast as they can pursued by the bandit heartless. Terra sprints to reach them in time, but the smaller brunette trips on the broken rubble that litters the ground. The silver haired boy skids to a stop and runs back to his fallen friend.

As the boy helps his friend to his feet, the bandit heartless reaches them and swings his sword at the defenseless boys. "No!" Terra shouts unable to do anything. He watches in horror as the sharp sword curves down. The silver haired boy stands pushing his smaller friend behind him. He holds out his hands in a weak attempt to stop the blade.

A bright flash between his hands goes off as the sword comes down. A sharp ring of metal on metal rings out. The light fades to reveal a red and blue keyblade clenched firmly in the young boy's hands. His eyes widen in shock as do his friend's, and even the bandit heartless looks surprised. Everything seems to freeze for a moment and then the keyblade disappears as quickly as it had appeared leaving the two boys defenseless once more.

The heartless shakes off the shock and prepares to attack again. Before it can even raise its sword back to striking position, Ven, crouching low on his skateboard keyblade glider, whips past Terra at maximum speed. Within seconds he is nearly on top of the heartless which turns to face him only to get a faceful of keyblade as Ven dives off his glider resummoning his keyblade just in time to slam it into the heartless. His keyblade passes right through as the heartless vanishes and tumbles to the ground.

Terra reaches the two boys as Ven gets to his feet. "Did I see what I think I just saw?" Ven asks

Terra nods and crouches down beside the silver haired boy who is staring at his hands with an expression of disbelief. "I think...I think I gave it to him," Terra says quietly and the boy looks up at him questioningly. "It was an accident. I didn't mean to."

"Terra, what is going on?" Aqua says having just reached them. "Are they ok?" She gestures to the two boys who still have yet to say a word. They just stand together staring up at the three keyblade wielders with expressions of awe.

"Yeah," Terra says. "Ven stopped that heartless before it touched them, but Aqua there is something else." He pulls her a little ways away to get out of earshot of the boys. Ven contemplates going with them, but decides against it.

Instead, he smiles at the two boys. "My name is Ventus. Call me Ven. What are your guys' names?"

"I'm Sora!" The younger brunette says excitedly holding his hand up with a cute grin. Ven smiles back at him and turns to the silver haired boy.

"Riku," the boy says without returning Ven's smile.

"Riku," Ven says thoughtfully. "Have you ever summoned a keyblade before?"

"What's that?" Riku asks confused, but curious.

"A keyblade is...well...this," Ven says summoning his keyblade and holding it out so both Sora and Riku can see it.

"Hey Riku, that kinda looks like that thing you had," Sora says.

"Yeah." Is all Riku says looking down at his hands again with a frown.

Ven glances over at Terra and Aqua to see Aqua poking Terra in the chest while yelling quietly at him. He can't make out the words, but he winces in sympathy for Terra being at the receiving end of Aqua's wrath.

"She's scary," Sora says catching Ven's attention.

"Aqua?" Ven asks laughing slightly. "Nah, just bossy."

"She killed that big monster," Riku says.

"Don't give her all the credit!" Ven says. "Terra and I helped."

"Yeah, we saw you hitting it," Sora says. "It was so cool!"

"I thought you said it was scary," Riku says to his friend.

"No! I wasn't scared!" Sora shouts standing on tiptoe to be at Riku's height.

"Yes you were!"

"Was not!" Sora says crossing his arms. "And you were scared too."

Ven can't help but laugh at the two boys bickering. "Are you guys scared of monsters?" Both boys nod. "You shouldn't be scared," Ven says crouching down beside Sora. "Big, stupid monsters aren't going to hurt you won't get anywhere near you. I eat monsters like that for breakfast." Ven flexes his arm muscles earning a giggle from both Sora and Riku.

"But you know," Ven says getting serious again. "Sometimes a monster sneaks up on you and grabs you from behind." Saying this Ven suddenly grabs Sora around the middle.

He shrieks in surprise and then in laughter as Ven begins to tickle him all over. Sora struggles to pull away, but Ven stands up keeps a firm grip on him.

"Stop it Ven!" Sora says still laughing. Ven only smiles and continues. Sora seems to be ticklish everywhere as he wiggles trying to get away. After a little while, Ven decides Sora has had enough and crouches back down releasing Sora who scrambles away. At a safe distance, he turns back giving Ven a huge grin.

"Oof!"

"Gotcha!" Riku says smugly in Ven's ear. He had snuck up behind Ven and jumped on his back when Ven was still crouched. Now he is wrapping his arms around Ven's neck refusing to let go no matter how much Ven tickles him. It is not until Sora joins in the effort does Riku finally yield to the double tickle attack and slip down off Ven's back.

"Do you understand how bad this is Terra?" Aqua says for the upteenth time.

"Yes Aqua," Terra says through gritted teeth. "Actually I do understand."

Aqua just continues making Terra roll his eyes. "This is so bad. You aren't a master yet. You can't be picking apprentices and handing out the keyblade willy nilly."

"I wasn't picking an apprentice or handing out the keyblade," Terra snaps beginning to lose his patience. "I told you it was an accident. He picked it up. He handed it back to me. Now he can use the keyblade. End of story."

"But what about the ceremony? You can't give the keyblade to someone without the Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony," Aqua says sounding like she is clutching at straws.

"Apparently you can," Terra says firmly. "Now we can stand here and argue about things we don't understand, or we can take him back to MEKA and let Master Eraqus decide what to do."

"We are old enough to figure things out for ourselves," Aqua says. "We shouldn't need to run to Master Eraqus for everything, especially if we want to become masters anytime soon."

"So you know what we should do?"

"...no."

"Then it's settled," Terra says walking over to the others before Aqua can protest.

"Hey guys," Ven says looking up as they come back over. Ven is grinning like an idiot and the two boys are also smiling as they both pull on Ven's arm like they are trying to make him fall over. Their efforts are in vain. "This is Sora and Riku," Ven says indicating which boy is which. "Guys this is Terra and Aqua."

"The bossy one?" Sora says looking at Aqua who is shocked. Terra snorts and Aqua shoots him a death glare and then does the same to Ven who looks at Sora horrified that he repeated that.

"Anyways," Ven says trying to steer the conversation in a safer direction. "What are we going to do?" Both Sora and Riku look at him curiously, but for the moment he ignores them.

"Same thing we did with you," Terra replies before crouching down at Sora and Riku's level. "How old are you guys?" Terra asks the two boys.

"I'm five and a half," Riku says. "Sora is only four."

"Hey! I'm almost five!"

"Alright, do you guys have parents or someone who looks after you?" Terra asks next.

"Nope, grown ups are mean," Riku says. "We ran away last year."

Terra glances at Aqua who nods for him to continue. "Riku," Terra says. "When that heartless tried to hurt you and Sora, you summoned a weapon called a keyblade. That means you are like us, we are all keyblade wielders." Terra pauses, but Riku just stares at him with wide eyes. "Since you are like us, we want you to come live with us."

"In a castle," Ven pipes in.

"Yes, in a castle," Terra says. "We call it MEKA and it is a school for people like us. But if you come with us we have to go to another world. That means you won't be back here for a while. Do you want to come with us?"

Riku doesn't reply looking over at Sora who is nearly jumping up and down with excitement. "Sora can come too of course," Terra adds quickly.

"Please Riku! It sounds like fun!" Sora says pleading with him. "I wanna go."

"I don't know Sora," Riku says slowly.

"It's a really cool place Riku," Ven says. "And we always have plenty of food and big comfy beds. And it is safe. Completely safe."

Riku regards him silently for a moment then nods. "Ok."

"Yay!" Sora says jumping up and down. He then runs and grabs Ven's leg. "Can we go now?"

Ven laughs and looks at Aqua. "Is it time to go Miss Bossy?"

Aqua gives him a warning look. "Yes it is and you will be doing the dishes for a week for that."

Terra summons his glider and opens the secret compartment in the seat where he keeps spare helmets. He beckons the two young boys over and hands them each a helmet three sizes too big for them. Aqua moves to Ven's side saying, "You knew just what to say to get him to come with us."

Ven shrugs. "Feeling safe is what every kid living on the street wants." Aqua fixes him with a steady gaze and Ven can feel the 'let's talk about our feelings' vibe coming off of her. Thankfully, Sora and Riku provide the perfect distraction.

"Hey Riku."

"What?"

"This!"

Sora headbutts Riku making their helmets clang together. Both boys stumble back, their too large helmets visibly vibrating from the ringing blow.

"Whoa..." Sora says clutching his head to stop the ringing.

"Maybe you two shouldn't ride together," Terra says frowning. "Here, Riku you can ride with me and Sora you can ride with Aqu-"

"I wanna ride with Ven!"

"Definitely!" Ven says with a grin. He holds out his hand just out of Sora's reach and watches with amusement as the small boy tries to jump and give him a high five.

"Are you sure it's safe on that glider of yours?" Aqua asks worriedly.

"It'll be fine," Ven says waving her off. "Stand back Sora."

Sora takes a step back and Ven smacks his armor guard. In a flash his armor appears. "Coooool!" Sora shouts echoed by Riku. Terra and Aqua activate their armor as well and Ven and Aqua summon their gliders. Terra places Riku on the seat on his glider and then sits behind reaching around him to reach the steering controls. Ven makes his board hover only a foot off the ground. He jumps on and reaches down to lift Sora up. He has him stand between his feet and keeps one hand wrapped securely around him.

"Are you all settled?" Aqua calls from aboard her glider. They all nod and begin to rise up into the sky. Ven can hear Sora gasp and feels him lean back against him. Ven tightens his grip slightly as they leave the world and zoom off into space towards home.

…

"I'm sorry Master Eraqus," Terra says. "It was an accident. I don't know what happened."

Terra stands nervously in Master Eraqus office while his master stands with his back to him staring out the window at Sora, Riku, and Ven down below playing tag while supervised by Aqua. In the silence of the next minute, Master Eraqus watches as Ven drags Aqua into the game and presumably making her it as they scatter away from her at once.

Master Eraqus turns away from the window to look at Terra who lowers his head unable to meet his master's gaze. "I am not mad Terra," Master Eraqus says and Terra's head snaps back up in surprise.

"You're not?"

"No," Master Eraqus says smiling kindly. "We like to think that we are the ones who pick our successors, but in fact it is the keyblade that picks its next master. Riku was destined to be a keyblade wielder."

"But I am not a master," Terra says. "I can't teach him."

"No, well at least not alone," Master Eraqus agrees. "No matter the circumstances he is your successor and therefore you have certain responsibilities in regards to him that you must meet, but do not think I am going to leave you in the lurch. I will be his master until you feel fit to take on that role yourself. In the meantime, you can help him by working hard yourself."

"Thank you Master Eraqus," Terra says visibly relieved.

"Now go and bring them in," Master Eraqus says dismissing him. "The sun will be setting soon."

…

After a quick dinner of Easy-Mac, which for Master Eraqus, Terra, Aqua, and Ven was rather disappointing, but for Sora and Riku was incredible, they all go to turn in for the night.

"Do you two want separate rooms or do you want to share?" Master Eraqus asks Sora and Riku as they stand in the hallway with the apprentices' rooms.

"Share!" Sora says at once and Riku nods earnestly in agreement.

"Alright, this room will be for the both of you." Master Eraqus opens one of the doors and ushers them inside. The room is furnished with two of everything. Two dressers, two nightstands, and

"Two beds!" Sora exclaims running forward. "Riku look. There are two beds."

"Yes, you each can have your own bed," Master Eraqus says. "Now it's time to get ready for bed."

When both Sora and Riku are changed into their pajamas which Aqua had found by tearing through the boxes of old clothes in Terra's closet and they had brushed their teeth, Master Eraqus proceeds to do something he hasn't had the chance to do in a long time. He tucks them into bed. "Good night Sora, Riku."

"Goodnight Master Eraqus." They both reply.

With a smile, Master Eraqus exits the room shutting off the light as he goes leaving only the soft glow of night light near the bathroom in the dark room. All is quiet for a few minutes after Master Eraqus leaves then,

"Riku?"

Sora's voice is right next to his ear, and Riku rolls over to see Sora standing next to his bed hugging a pillow to his chest. "Yeah Sora."

"I...Can I sleep with you?" Sora asks plucking at the corner of his pillow. "My bed is really big."

"Sure," Riku says scooting over to give Sora space to lie down. Sora grins and hops under the covers.

"Thanks Riku," Sora says flopping down on his stomach with his arms curled around the pillow under his head.

"Mmhm," Riku mumbles sleepily as he rolls back onto his side facing away from Sora. He wouldn't admit it, but he is happy Sora had come over because it's scary to be in a strange world with strange new people. He and Sora had slept side by side most of their lives and he is glad this is not the first night they don't.

* * *

**SORA! RIKU! YOU FINALLY MADE IT! WELCOME TO THE PARTY!**

**I've been waiting forever to bring them to MEKA. They are just so damn cute!**

**Speaking of cute, let's talk about Terra and Aqua. Sure they clashed a little this chapter, but I have a feeling that it is about time for their friendship to become something more. Hint hint :)**

**So review if you want some Terra and Aqua fluff in the next chapter!**


	19. A Change of Mind

Chapter 19 _A Change of Mind_

A lot can change in a week. Sora and Riku have only been living at MEKA for seven days, but it is like they have been there their whole lives. Every morning, Master Eraqus sends Terra and Aqua off on their own while he supervises Ven and Riku's training. Sora tags along with Riku and Master Eraqus begins to teach them both to use a sword. Sora may not have a keyblade like the others, but he fits right in and his ever present smile makes the whole castle seem brighter. Each the afternoon, Master Eraqus leaves his apprentices to relax and enjoy eachothers company for a few hours while he works in his office.

This afternoon, a week after the trip to Agrabah, Ven finds himself lying on the floor staring at the ceiling of the sitting room bored and restless. Aqua is curled up on the couch with a book, Terra is staring out the window lost in thought, and Sora and Riku are playing with some old action figures Terra had found for them. By the sounds they were making and the figurines flying through the air, there must have been an epic battle taking place.

Sighing with boredom, Ven sits up looking around for something to do. A desk in the corner of the room catches his eye, and he stands going over to it. A quick search of the drawers makes him grin in triumph as he pulls out a deck of cards.

"Hey guys," Ven says slyly, catching the attention of the others. "Ever played blackjack?"

…

Terra looks critically at the two cards in his hand and then back at Ven. His eyes narrow at the younger boy's smirk of superiority. "Wipe that stupid look off your face and give me a hit," Terra grumbles trying to sound confident and not at all worried. Still smirking, Ven hands him a new card which Terra adds to his hand after removing a card and sending it to the discard pile. Trying to ignore Ven, Terra bites his lip thinking hard. "Alright," he says. "I'll stand."

Ven turns to Aqua asking, "And what are you going to do."

"I'll stand," Aqua says without hesitating. She meets Ven's smirk with a cool stare, but it only makes him grin wider.

"Let's see the cards," Ven says enthusiastically. Terra grimaces and puts down his cards.

"17."

Aqua smiles and puts her cards down on the table with a smack. "20."

Ven's face falls in disappointment. "Oh," he says sadly looking down at his cards. "I only have...blackjack!" Ven slams his hand on the table triumphantly and laughing at the enraged expressions on Terra and Aqua's faces he reaches out and scoops up the candy they had been betting with. He adds it to the already enormous pile next to him. "Do you guys want to go one more round or surrender?" He asks eyeing the few pieces of candy the other two have left.

"I don't know how you're doing it, but you're cheating somehow," Terra says angrily.

"It's not cheating," Ven says looking offended. "It's called strategy."

"I thought it was called counting cards," Riku says from the couch where he and Sora had been watching the older apprentices play. "That's what they call it in Agrabah."

"Counting cards?" Terra asks suspiciously.

"Yeah! It's so cool that you can do it Ven," Sora says. "Only like the bestest players can do it. We knew this one guy who was real good at it, but he got caught. They sent him to jail I think. I think the other player were jealous that he was so good." Sora didn't even notice Ven waving at him to stop talking.

"So it is cheating!" Terra says rounding on Ven who immediately starts gathering his winnings.

"I think it's time for me to go," Ven says quickly. He stands, attempting to make a run for it, but Terra is too quick and gets in front of him preventing his escape. "Terra," Ven says slowly backing away from him. "I think we can talk this out. You know, like civilized people."

Terra doesn't respond for a moment, then nods. "You're right." He puts out his hand for Ven to shake. Hesitantly Ven does so, but as they shake Terra says, "But you know, I don't feel like being civilized right now."

Ven tries to pull his hand back, but Terra doesn't let him. With a mischievous grin, Terra yanks Ven's arm causing him to stumble closer and allowing Terra to get him in a headlock.

"Go Terra!" Riku cheers from the couch.

"Get him Ven!" Sora calls.

Ven struggles with all his might, but Terra's grip is unyielding. However, after a few tries, Ven succeeds in kicking Terra's legs out from under him. Unfortunately, when Terra falls, he falls on Ven and they both hit the ground with a mighty crash. Terra quickly gets off Ven asking worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm good," Ven gasps rolling onto his stomach to get up.

"Well in that case I don't feel bad," Terra says and before Ven can push himself to his feet, Terra sits on his back preventing him from getting up.

"Terra? What are you? Get off me!" Ven shouts, but Terra pays him no heed.

"Cheaters must be punished," Terra says with a grin.

"I agree," Aqua says reaching out and taking a handful of Ven's winnings. She hands some to Sora and Riku and some to Terra.

"Hey wait! That's mine!" Ven cries indignantly.

"Well it's been confiscated," Aqua says tossing a M&M into the air and catching it in her mouth.

Before Ven can protest, he hears footsteps enter the room and with some difficulty he turns his head to look up at Master Eraqus who is surveying the scene with a bemused expression. "Do I even want to know?" He asks and everyone shakes their heads no. Terra gets off Ven who stands grumbling and shoots Terra a dirty look. "Well whatever you are fighting about can wait," Master Eraqus says. "There is an emergency I need you three to attend to at once."

Terra, Aqua, and Ven instantly forget the skirmish and look at Master Eraqus concerned. Without a word, he hands a letter he had in his hand to Aqua, and Ven and Terra move to look over her shoulder. Parts of the letter had been made illegible in some places. It must have gotten wet at some point because some of the ink is smudged. The part still legible reads:

_Dear Master Eraqus of MEKA,_

_My kingdom of Atlantica is in dire need...assistance of key... A sea monster is terrorizing...nothing we can do to stop...please help._

_King T..._

Piecing together the short letter and filling in the holes, the three older apprentices look to their master of guidance. "I have already packed you a bag of food in case you must stay overnight," Master Eraqus says in a serious voice. "Go to this world, Atlantica, and meet with the king there. Find this monster and vanquish it. I am counting on you three to end this threat."

Terra, Aqua, and Ven all nod in understanding. "Good," Master Eraqus says. "Now go and be quick. I fear this monster has already done a lot of damage to that world. Stop it before it can do anymore."

...

The trio lands on a grassy hill overlooking the ocean. As they dismiss their gliders and armor, Ven says, "There's supposed to be a sea monster here?"

He can count about a dozen boats bobbing around in the water and the beach is dotted with families enjoying the warm weather. It doesn't seem like the place to find a sea monster.

"That's what the letter said," Aqua says doubtfully.

"Maybe it's at another beach," Terra guesses. "But, c'mon. Let's go meet with the king here and get it all straightened out." Terra leads then down the hill, away from the beach, and towards the walled in city. They find the road and follow it to a gate guarded by a middle aged man with a large bushy moustache. They halt in front of him and he looks at them warily.

"State your business."

"Ah, well," Aqua says caught off guard looking over at Terra and Ven before turning back to the frowning guard. "We are here to...visit? Yeah, we're here to visit our...uh...grandmother."

"Our favorite Granny. She hasn't been doing so well," Ven says stepping forward and adopting a forlorn expression. "Not well at all. Not since that storm last winter. She has this cough and every time she coughs she gets this pain in her stomach. She says it feels like the grim reaper himself is punching her in the stomach. The doctors can't cure her." Ven starts getting choked up. "All we can do is try and keep her comfortable in her final days."

Ven puts on his best puppy dog face and stares up at the stern faced man. Surprisingly, his expression melts into one of sympathy. "I'm very sorry for your family," he says his eyes glistening. "My Ma had the same thing. She died last spring."

"I'm so sorry," Ven says hanging his head.

"It still hurts you know," the guard says hitting his chest. "Right here." He pauses for a moment to regain his composure. "I'll just wave you guys through, no paperwork. You should spend as much time with your Granny as you can. Just in case, god forbid, she doesn't have that much time left."

"Thank you," Ven says. "Thank you very such sir. We really appreciate your understanding."

"I'm glad I could help. You're a good kid," the guard says opening the gate and waving them through. "Go, be with your Granny. Send her my best wishes."

With a nod of thanks, Ven leads Terra and Aqua away from the gate and into the city beyond. Once they turn a corner and are out of sight of the gate, Ven slows to a stop and turns with a huge grin to see Terra and Aqua's expressions, a mix of disbelief and awe. Still grinning, Ven takes a bow and Terra and Aqua roll their eyes. "Let's go," Aqua says as she and Terra walk around Ven to take the lead. As they pass, Ven straightens up and Terra smacks his head lightly.

Ven pouts and rubs his head for a moment before running to catch up with his friends. He falls into step beside them and together they make their way through the peaceful city. Finding the castle is easy; the main road leads right up to the front doors. Another guard stands in front of the closed doors with his hands clasped behind his back as he surveys the townspeople bustling around before him. Terra, Aqua, and Ven catch his eye as they make their way up the stairs and stand before him.

"State your business."

"Well you see sir, our Granny is very-"

Terra cuts Ven off by smacking his head again. Rolling his eyes, Terra speaks to the confused guard. "Sorry sir, don't mind him. We are here to speak with your king. He asked us to come at once."

"I was unaware that King Thomas was expecting anyone today," the guard says shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

"It is very important that we speak to your king at once," Aqua says. "It is a matter of utmost importance. Your king would not want you to keep us waiting."

"Well," the guard says wavering. Finally he gives in. "If he asked you to come then it must be alright. Go right in. Mable will show you the way to the audience hall."

Saying this he opens the great front doors and ushers them inside. A young girl, a year or two younger that Terra and Aqua, looks up from dusting a beautiful vase. "Mable, bring these guests to the audience chamber and alert the king that they have arrived," the guard says and Mable nods quickly. Terra, Aqua, and Ven follow her without a word through the castle taking in the intricate and ancient pieces of art that adorn every wall. This kingdom must be very rich and the royal family is not ashamed to flaunt their money.

"Please wait inside," Mable says in a soft voice as she stops before a large pair of sea green double doors. "King Thomas will be with you shortly."

"Thank you," Aqua says with a smile. The girl just nods and continues down the corridor. Terra exchanges glances with the other two before pushing open the doors to the audience hall and stepping inside. Ven and Aqua follow him through and gaze in awe at the incredible room. The far end of the room where three thrones sit has no wall. Instead, it is open to a large balcony overlooking the beautiful sea below. The sun hangs low on the horizon as the boats make their way back to port for the night. Nothing about this place seemed to line up with the devastation and destruction the king had spoke of in his letter to Master Eraqus.

A boy with short black hair stands leaning over the railing of the balcony. He looks up in surprise when he hears them come in. "Oh, hello," he says curiously walking over to them. "What are you doing here?"

"The king sent us a letter requesting our assistance," Aqua explains.

"He did?" The boy says his forehead creasing in concentration. "What does he need your assistance with?"

"He asked us to-"

Aqua is cut off by the sound of raised voices on the other side of the door coming closer. The four of them turn and can just make out the words. "Who, in God's name, let them in no questions asked?"

The doors slam open and a large muscular man with a scowl on his face walks in. He immediately lays eyes on Terra, Aqua, and Ven standing with the black haired boy. "Eric! Get away from them at once," the man booms and the boy immediately moves away from the trio. As the man storms across the room, a woman that looks a lot like Eric comes through the door with another older man, they both have worried expressions.

"Who are you?" The man demands. "What are you doing here?"

"Thomas, please calm down," the woman says walking to Eric's side.

"Not now Cassie," he says waving her off.

"King Thomas?" Aqua says nervously and he moves to tower over her. Trying not to show her distaste for his aggressive nature, Aqua continues in a confident and respectful voice. "King Thomas, my name is Aqua. This is Terra and Ventus. Our master got your distress letter and sent us to help."

"I sent no such letter to anyone," King Thomas thunders. "Now tell me what you are really up to little girl or I will throw you in prison and let the rats have you." Saying this he pokes a threatening finger at her chest.

Before he can even blink, the tip of Terra's keyblade is resting on his chest and he gulps looking over at Terra who has an enraged expression. "Don't talk to her like that," Terra says pressing slightly harder on his keyblade.

"Keyblade wielders," King Thomas says in a surprisingly weak voice compared to his shouting from before. Terra snorts in disgust before removing his keyblade from the king's chest and letting it disappear.

The older man runs to Eric and the woman shouting, "Queen Cassandra! Prince Eric! Run! Alert the guards! Quick before they attack!"

"Hold it!" Ven shouts before anyone can move. "Everyone just calm down! We came to help you idiots with the fucking sea monster! Why are you freaking out at us?"

"Do not speak to me or my family like that boy!" King Thomas roars regaining his confidence and his voice. "And what are you talking about? There is no sea monster in my kingdom."

"But we got a letter saying-" Aqua tries to say but the King cuts her off.

"I have no idea what you children are talking about, but if are truly here to help us then leave. Be gone. We want nothing to do with your kind here."

Terra, Aqua, and Ven exchange looks. Terra turns to King Thomas and fixes him with a steady gaze. In a monotone voice that matches his blank expression, he says, "Obviously there has been a mistake. In that case, we are sorry to have bothered you today. We will take our leave." With that, Terra walks out of the audience room stalking past the royal family without even glancing at them. Aqua follows in a similar fashion and so does Ven. However, before walking out the door, Ven turns and flips off the rude king. He watches with amusement as the king's whole face purples with rage and flashes him a smile that says 'what are you going to do about it?' before leaving the throne room to follow Terra and Aqua out of the castle and out of the city.

...

Back on the hill they had first landed on, the trio looks out over the ocean turned blood red by the setting sun. "Are we really leaving?" Ven asks looking from Terra to Aqua. Both shake their heads.

"We have to take a look ourselves," Terra says. "That letter definitely came from this world and we can't just take the word of that bastard that there's no monster."

"Terra!"

"I'm sorry Aqua," Terra says. "But he was. He was so rude to you."

Sighing, Aqua rubs her temple. "C'mon," she says walking down the hill towards the beach. "It's almost dark out. We don't have time to look for a monster today. Let's set up camp and turn in for the night."

…

Everything is pitch black outside the small circle of light provided by their fire, but the sound of the waves crashing nearby reminds them that although they can't see it, they are right near the water's edge. Terra and Aqua are both kneeling next to the fire not speaking. Ven lies a little ways away on his side with his back to them. His grumblings about what a poor dinner burned hot dogs was had just faded into deep breathing accompanied by the occasional light snore.

"Terra?" Aqua says breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"I just...wanted to thank you for standing up for me back there," Aqua says turning away hoping to hide her blush.

"I probably could've handled it better," Terra admits scratching his head. "It was a bad idea to show them my keyblade. It just made everything worse."

"Maybe," Aqua says softly. "But it was still very chivalrous of you to defend me."

"Anytime my lady," Terra says giving her a goofy grin. She laughs.

"Terra," she says a minute later. "Can we talk."

"Of course Aqua," Terra replies. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I...hold on," Aqua says standing and brushing the sand off her legs. Ignoring Terra's confused expression, she walks around the fire and crouches next to Ven. She watches him carefully and then nods, satisfied. She come back around the fire and sits beside Terra. "He's asleep."

Terra nods, but doesn't say anything, staring at her expectantly. Aqua shifts awkwardly under his gaze pulling absentmindedly at the sleeves on her arms. "Terra," she finally says. "What you did today made me realize how silly I've been. You are the most wonderful man I know, and I've been pushing you away. Out of fear. Yes, I said it. You were right, I was afraid of change."

"But, you've had a change of heart?" Terra asks breaking into a wide grin.

"No, not a change of heart," Aaua says smiling back. "A change of mind."

"Oh?"

"My heart has always wanted this," Aqua says taking his hand in hers. "My mind has finally come around."

Terra's grin gets wider and Aqua has never seen him happier. He leans in close so their foreheads are touching. "You're not going to stop me this time?" He asks.

Aqua shakes her head. "Just kiss me already you idiot."

"Gladly," Terra says before tilting his head and bringing his lips to Aqua's. At first she is hesitant, but she doesn't pull away. Terra continues to kiss her gently and soon she is kissing him back with more passion. Sliding his arms around her waist, Terra pulls her closer to him in the sand, and begins to rub her back. Her arms go around him as well, holding him tight to her.

They only pull away when they run out of air, and sit still locked together with big smiles and red faces. Aqua curls against Terra's chest and Terra holds her feeling like the luckiest man in the world. "We can't let anyone know about this," Aqua murmurs sadly into his shirt. "I'm sorry Terra, but we have to keep this a secret from Master Eraqus and Ven. If they ever found out-"

"They aren't going to find out," Terra says soothingly stroking her hair softly. "It'll be our little secret." He kisses the top of her head.

"Thank you Terra," Aqua says tilting her head up to meet his lips. No more words are said between the two of them as they make out under the starlit sky.

Ten feet away from them, Ven lies with his eyes closed, but a small smile appears on his lips. Part of him feels bad for eavesdropping on such a personal moment, but mostly he is just happy that his two friends are in love. Ever since he met them he had wondered if something more than friendship was going on between the two of them, and this night had proven there is. In the next few minutes, Ven hears Terra and Aqua move apart and settle down to sleep. He also tries to drift off, but as he does so his thoughts turn to Zack.

As happy as he is for Terra and Aqua he can't help but feel a twinge of envy. More than anything he wishes he and Zack could kiss under the stars like them. He tries to tell himself that maybe one day he could be happy like that. Maybe one day he and Zack will meet again. But no matter what happy thoughts he tries to turn his mind to as he drifts off, his mind always goes back to his memory of Zack walking away playing over and over in his head.

* * *

**Let's just have a round of applause for Terra for succeeding in escaping the dreaded **_**FRIENDZONE**_**. *Applause***

**Mexi: All I'm going to say is Sora will get a keyblade...eventually. **

**Ruby Warrior Girl 730: I'm guessing you asked about Sora and Riku being a couple because of that whole 'can I sleep with you' scene. I wouldn't read too much into that. Remember they are only like 5 years old right now. I'm thinking their relationship will stay like brothers when they get older, but don't hold me to that.**

**MLSoT: Hope it was fluffy enough for you. Mushy gushy romance stuff is not my strong suit.**

**So I'm going to try doing a poll on my profile for the first time ever. In a coming chapter Braig (did you forget about him? 'Cause I kinda did...) is going to have a one night stand and the question is...**

**Should Braig be gay or straight?**

**Bi is not an option because that doesn't help me at all.**

**So go vote if you want your voice to be heard. *crosses fingers that you'll help me out with this decision***

**I also just wanted to say that I don't play blackjack so if I messed something up I apologize.**

**Review and look out for the next chapter!**


	20. A New Friend

Chapter 20 _A New Friend_

"I dunno about this Riku," Sora says as he looks up at the tall mountain.

"Don't be such a baby Sora," Riku says impatiently. "It's not even that tall." Without another word, Riku walks over with a determined expression to the beginning of the path at the mountain base. He looks up at the winding path that stretches up the side of the mountain higher than he can see. Riku glances back at Sora to see him sigh in acceptance and run over to him.

"I'm not a baby," Sora says under his breath, but Riku ignores him starting to walk up the path with Sora right at his side. At first they move quickly, curious to see everything. Unfortunately there is nothing to see but a lot of rocks. "This is boring Riku," Sora complains dragging his feet. "There isn't anything cool up here. Let's go back."

Riku stops and looks over at Sora with a disappointed expression. "I guess you're right," Riku admits. He begins to walk back down the path, but after a couple steps he realizes Sora is no longer with him. "Sora?" He says looking back over his shoulder. Sora hadn't turned around and was instead craning his neck to look around the next bend in the path. "Sora, what are you doing?" Riku asks. "You said you wanted to go back."

"Riku look," Sora says pointing up the path. Riku follows Sora's hand, but doesn't see anything.

"I don't see anything."

"There's something there!" Sora says excitedly, running forward, and forcing Riku to run after him. The path levels out and they are standing on a small plateau on the mountainside. Riku moves to the edge looking down at the forest floor below. Looking out from this height, the spires of MEKA are at eye level. Riku looks in wonder. He has never been this high off the ground.

"Riku!" Sora calls and Riku turns to see him waving him over by a wide crack in the mountainside. From far away, the opening looks too small for anyone to fit in, but as Riku gets closer he can see that a grown man could easily fit through. "It's a cave!" Sora exclaims.

"Where does it go?" Riku asks peering into the dark opening.

"I dunno," Sora replies also sticking his head in. "Do you think a monster lives in there?"

"Maybe," Riku says. "Let's go look." Without waiting for Sora to reply, Riku steps into the cave and makes his way quietly inside.

"W-wait up Riku," Sora says scrambling to keep up.

"Shh Sora," Riku says turning to look back at him for a moment. "You're going to wake the monster."

A few more shuffling steps in silence, and they walk into a small circular cavern softly lit by a lantern on the opposite wall. "Does someone live here?" Sora asks looking around. A low bed against one wall and a table in the center with a single chair are the only furnishings, but the bed looks slept in and dirty dishes from breakfast are still on the table. "Riku, who lives here?" Sora asks.

"I dunno," Riku says walking around the small room. "I wonder where they went. Oh!" Riku turns back towards the entrance and sees an old, bald man with glaring yellow eyes staring at him and Sora from the doorway.

Sora and Riku both freeze in surprise, before moving closer together with guilty expressions. "I think he lives here Riku," Sora says quietly, but not quietly enough.

"Yes, I do live here," the man says in a rasping voice and both Sora and Riku jump slightly. "Now what are you doing here?"

Riku shrugs. "We were looking for a monster. Monsters live in caves."

The man cackles. "Is that a fact? Then what does that make me? I live in a cave." He laughs again.

Sora laughs as well. "You're not a monster," he says with a smile. "You're a person. People can't be monsters."

The man moves closer and looks down at Sora. "How old are you?"

"Four," Sora says. "But I'm almost five!"

The man nods and strokes the goatee on his chin. "Too young to understand," he muses to himself. "The worst monsters _are_ people." The loud enough for the two boys to hear him, "What are your names?"

"I'm Sora and he's Riku," Sora says at once. "What's your name?"

"My name is Xehanort," Xehanort says leering at Sora.

Sora tilts his head slightly. "That's a funny name."

Xehanort ignores his comment and asks, "Do you two live at MEKA?"

"Yep," Riku says. "With Terra and Aqua and Ven and Master Eraqus."

"Why do you live here all alone, Mr. Xenor- Xehasnor- Xehan- Xehan- Mr. Nort?" Sora says struggling on Xehanort's name.

"I prefer to be alone," Xehanort says.

"Oh," Sora says, kicking at the dirt floor.

"We should go back, Sora," Riku says. "We have lessons. G'bye Mr. Nort."

"Ok, bye Mr. Nort," Sora says with a wave. He and Riku move to walk out of the cave when Xehanort stops them.

"One moment boys," Xehanort says. They stop and look up at him. "I think it would be best if you do not tell Eraqus or the others that I am here."

"Why not?" RIku asks.

"This cave isn't very big. If you tell everyone else about this place they will all want to come and where would they all sit?" Xehanort says gesturing around at the sparse furnishings. "We should just keep this a secret between the three of us."

"I'm the bestest secret keeper," Sora says excitedly.

Xehanort laughs. "Good, good. Goodbye for now, but stop by anytime you want."

"Ok!" Both Sora and Riku say with identical grins. With a final wave, they run out of the cave and back down the mountain path. Panting, they burst through the doors of the castle and nearly collide with Master Eraqus.

"Woah, slow down boys," Master Eraqus says with a smile. "I was just about to come looking for you. What were you doing outside?" Sora and Riku exchange a glance with each other.

"Nothing!"

…

Ven ran down another white staircase to find himself in another white corridor identical to the one a floor above. Without pausing, he sprinted down the hallway glancing over his shoulder for signs of pursuit, but there was no one. Another staircase, another white hallway. Ven knew someone was chasing him, but each time he looked back he was alone.

Alone. Alone. Completely alone.

"Terra! Aqua! Master Eraqus! Sora! Riku!" He shouted, but only his echoes answered.

Another staircase, but Ven didn't see it. He tumbled down, landing hard on his shoulder. Groaning, he rolled onto his back holding his shoulder. All his urgency was gone. Whatever was chasing him could catch him, he didn't care.

A slight sound made him turn his head. He wasn't alone. Another boy stood with his back to him. A boy with long black hair.

"Who...?" Ven said slowly pushing himself back to his feet. The boy turned. Ven gasped. "Zack?"

"Where are you Ven?" Zack asked in a sad voice looking right through him.

"I'm right here Zack," Ven said, confused. Zack didn't hear him. He turned his back to Ven once more and began to walk away. "Wait Zack!" Ven called racing after him. "Zack! Zack!"

Ven caught up to him. He reached out to grab his arm and turn him around, but as his hand closed around Zack's wrist, Zack faded away like a ghost. "What...?" Ven said looking around. "Zack! Zack!" The walls were fading. The ceiling. The floor. Everything was turning black.

"Zack!" Ven called now feeling scared. "Zack!"

"Is someone having a big boy dream?"

Ven's eyes shoot open at the voice in his ear, and he sits up with a gasp. It takes him a moment to recognize where he is. He is still on the beach where he had fallen asleep except now the sun has risen and is gleaming off the clear blue water. Laughter behind him makes him turn around to see Terra crouched in the sand with a triumphant smile.

"What did you say?" Ven demands.

"I just wanted to know what you were dreaming about," Terra says shrugging. "You just kept moaning 'Zack, Zack' over and over. Must have been a great dream."

"Shut up, Terra," Ven says. The blush on Ven's cheeks only makes Terra smirk. "It wasn't anything like that anyways," Ven snaps.

"Oh? Then what was it about?" Terra asks raising an eyebrow.

"It was about..." Ven says then pauses, thinking hard. "I don't remember now. But it felt...so real." He looks over to see Terra still smirking at him. Ven rolls his eyes seeing that nothing he says will get Terra's mind out of the gutter. "So where's Aqua?" Ven asks changing the topic. He stands shielding his eyes from the sun to look down the beach for her.

"She'll be back soon," Terra says without really answering the question. "Here," he says handing Ven a bowl of oatmeal. "It's probably cold, but that's what you get for not getting up on time for breakfast."

Ven takes it without complaint. As he eats he racks his brain, trying to remember what his dream had been about. All he can come up with is the color white and an image of Zack with a depressed expression.

"There she is," Terra says catching Ven's attention. He points out at the water, and Ven squints to see a small sailboat speeding towards them with Aqua at the bow.

Ven and Terra pack up the small campsite quickly, and head to the edge of the water to wait for her. As she approaches, Ven notices that she is doing nothing but standing there, and yet the boat is quickly cutting through the water. "How is she doing that?" Ven asks Terra.

Terra frowns. "It's a spell she learned to control sailboats. Master Eraqus told you there is more magic than just the basic elemental spells, right?" Ven nods. "I don't remember where she learned that. Aqua!" He catches her attention as she brings the boat in. She looks up questioningly at him as the boat beaches itself in the shallow water. "Where'd you learn that spell again?"

She beckons for them to climb aboard and they wade through the shallow water before pulling themselves up on deck. "I learned it from a boy named Percy," she says. "The world was called Camp Half-Blood I think."

"How does it work?" Ven asks curiously.

"Like this," Aqua says raising her hands slightly "Mizzenmast!" At once all the ropes and pulleys on the small craft pull tight and the sail fills with wind pulling them out to sea.

"Cool!" Ven says running to the bow to look out at the water as the boat picks up speed, heading out towards open water. He sneakily looks back to see Terra give Aqua a quick kiss on her cheek. Turning his eyes back to the wave, Ven shakes his head and smiles to himself. Those two think they are being so sneaky, but Ven knows their secret, and he is patient. He will wait for the perfect moment to confront them. And the looks on their faces is going to be priceless.

…

Ven sits sulking on the bow, straddling the very tip of the boat and letting his bare toes skim the waves that were crashing against the bow. They had been on this boat for hours. Noon had come and gone with a poor lunch of stale, day old sandwiches. Ven is sunburnt and his eyes sting from staring at the water reflecting the bright sunlight. To add to his uncomfortableness, the constant slap of the waves on the hull is slowly driving him insane.

"Maybe there really isn't a sea monster," Ven says over his shoulder unable to stand the silence any longer. "Maybe that letter was just some asshole's idea of a funny prank."

Aqua and Terra look over at him. They are both sitting on opposite edges of the boat scanning the ocean for any signs of the supposed sea monster. "Maybe," Aqua says with a sigh. "But Master Eraqus seemed to think it was a serious emergency. We have to keep looking to make sure."

Grumbling, Ven turns back to stare at the empty ocean again. He shifts uncomfortably on the hard wood of the bow as he feels his left butt cheek fall asleep. "Ugh, I can't sit here any longer," Ven says to himself. Carefully, with his arms out for balance, he stands on the edge of the bow feeling the breeze trying to push him off. He goes to step back to a safer position, but there is something holding him in place. "What the...?" He says looking down to see a thin grey tentacle wrapped around his ankle.

The tentacle pulls, hard. Before he knows what happened, Ven finds himself suddenly underwater, being dragged towards the ocean floor by his captured ankle. Forcing his eyes open despite the salt water, he looks down to see nothing but dark water below him. The other end of the tentacle gripping his ankle is somewhere down there, but he can't see it. Instead he has to focus on what he can see. First he tries to pull the tentacle off with his hands, but it is too strong. His chest hurts from not being able to breathe and the farther he lets himself be pulled down the less of a chance that he would have enough air to make it back to the surface again. Fighting off dark thoughts and the panic threatening to take over, Ven summons his keyblade. The water slows down his swing, but he is still powerful enough to slice through the tentacle in one cut. Free, Ven wastes no time dismissing his keyblade and swimming with all his might. With his lungs burning, he breaks the surface shaking his wet hair out of his face.

"Ven!"

Treading water, Ven looks around spotting the boat with Terra and Aqua leaning over the bow. "Stop messing around Ven!" Terra shouts. "You scared the crap out of us."

"I'm not messing around!" Ven shouts back swimming towards them. "There is a sea monster. It-"

Another grey tentacle, much thicker than the other one, shoots out of the water, and wraps around Ven's torso. Ven just has time to see his friend's expressions of shock and horror before he sucks in one final deep breath and is pulled underwater once more. Wasting no time, Ven summons his keyblade, and tries the same thing he had done before. However, this tentacle is much thicker than it's predecessor, and Ven has almost no leverage to put behind his swings in his current position. The little cuts he gets on the big tentacle do nothing to stop it and only seem to hasten his descent. He keeps hacking at it desperately, but in less than a minute it has dragged him all the way to the ocean floor where he can finally see his adversary face to face. Except the monster doesn't have a face.

Ven stares in horror. The tentacle holding him connects in a tangled mess to dozens of other tentacles including the other one that had first grabbed him. On top of the mess of tentacles is the 'head' of the beast if it can even be called that. It is a bloated grey sack with a single gaping maw in the center. Looking closely, Ven can see three lines of razor sharp teeth in the black hole. As he is dragged towards the mouth, he can't help but scream. He stops quickly seeing several bubbles of his precious little air float away from him. Forcing himself to calm, Ven looks critically at the monster and then down at the keyblade in his hand. The monster has no eyes, it can't see the weapon in his hand. It won't be able to see this coming.

Now determined, Ven waits ignoring his burning lungs. The tentacle brings him closer and closer to the black maw, but once he gets close enough, Ven stabs forward. He drives his keyblade into the soft flesh just above the terrifying mouth. As he pulls his keyblade back out, the water shakes from the silent howl of the monster. The tentacle around him tightens and begins to pull him away, but not before Ven stabs forward again. Again his keyblade sinks in and another howl reverberates through the water. One more stab finishes it off. The howling stops and the tentacle around him loosens.

Struggling hard against the dead monster's grip, Ven is able to pull himself free and kicks towards the surface knowing he will never make it. He lets his keyblade disappear and begins to swim as fast as he can, but his body is betraying him. The dark water around him seems to be seeping into his mind, and without meaning to he opens his mouth.

Water rushes in as his mind screams for him to keep going. But his body doesn't move. He had made it far enough to see the light of the surface, but the black water is calling him back down and he is falling. For a moment, the light of the surface is blocked, but before he can figure out what caused the shadow, everything goes black.

* * *

**Cliffhangers are just so much fun!**

**Fun Fact: I originally wrote this scene with the sea monster for the novel I'm writing, but it had to be taken out. So I recycled it and used it in this story. **

**Yay for Sora and Riku making a new friend! Mr. Nort! XD It makes him sound so much less evil.**

**SnowKawasagi: I wonder why you couldn't post a review...whatever, FanFiction is just weird sometimes. No TerraxAqua in this chapter really, but I promise there will be plenty in the coming chapters. Shhh don't tell Master Eraqus. It's a secret :)**

**Mexi: You called it. King Triton is the king that wrote the letter. He'll make his appearance next chapter. He might seem kind of OOC, but by the end of the story he will change to be more like he is in the game.**

**MLSoT: I guess from your reaction that last chapter was fluffy enough for you. More fluff to come!**

**Can you believe this is the 20th chapter?! It seems crazy to me. And now I'm gonna start cranking out chapters even faster 'cause school ended today. WOOOOOOOO! Well I'm off to go burn all my school stuff. Next chapter is coming soon!**

**P.S. My birthday is this weekend and I think reviews would make the perfect present...**


	21. Let Me Out

Chapter 21 _Let Me Out_

Ven can feel himself falling through water, falling down, down, down. Slowly, he opens his eyes as his body turns so his legs are under him and blinks in surprise as he finds despite being underwater he can breathe. Ven's feet come in contact with the ground and he lands gently looking around. It is eerie and dark and he is alone.

Confused, he takes a step forward, and looks down in surprise as a crack of light appears under his foot. Suddenly, from covering the ground, birds take flight and Ven covers his face in surprise. Ven slowly lowers his arms as the birds disappear into the dark leaving him alone once more, standing on a now brightly glowing platform. Looking under his feet, Ven's eyes widen in shock as he takes in the beautiful stained glass mosaic he is standing on. A larger than life image of himself sleeps against the edge of the circle. In his hand is his keyblade pointed across the platform. In the middle, his keyblade crosses another, this one bulky and darker. Following that keyblade with his eyes, he traces it back to it's wielder. In a similar position to Ven, but across the platform, there is an image of another boy sleeping. His entire body is covered in a red and black bodysuit, and his head is encased in a faceless black mask.

Ven tears his eyes away from masked boy and examines the rest of the stained glass image. Behind the crossed keyblades, is a landscape Ven has never seen before. Huge mountains of red rock tower above the barren ground riddled with what appears to be keyblades stuck blade first into the rockbed. In the sky of the image is a heart shaped moon giving off an eerie blue glow. Afraid of disturbing the perfect silence of the platform, Ven carefully takes a step forward only to stop short at a voice.

_Let me out._

Whirling around, Ven summons his keyblade, his eyes darting around to find the one who had spoken. No one is there.

_Let me out._

This time Ven looks up, sure the voice had come from above him this time. No one is there.

A rumble from behind, makes him turn quickly falling into a battle stance. Stairs have suddenly appeared at the other end of the station leading up to another station that has just risen up out of the darkness. With his keyblade held out in front of him, Ven warily approaches the stairs and begins to climb without a glance back. The only sound as he climbs is his own footsteps and he looks up when he reaches the next station.

The image here is different; 13 circles of dark red on one side and 7 circles of light blue on the other. Stenciled over the opposing circles is the outline of the strangest keyblade Ven has ever seen, and although he is sure he has never seen anything like it, it is familiar.

_X-blade_

That voice again! It echoes all around making him spin in circles looking for the source.

_X-blade. X-blade. X-blade. X-blade._

"Show your self!" Ven shouts angrily. "Who are you?"

_Come closer._

A spotlight falls on the far side of the station. Ven cranes his neck trying to see the source, but it is too high. His eyes staring up, Ven walks forward slowly feeling the warm light envelope him.

_The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes._

The voice may have been without feeling before, but now Ven could hear dark glee in it's words. Looking back over his shoulder, Ven sees that his shadow is indeed huge now. His breath catches in his throat as his shadow begins to peel itself off the stained glass floor and slowly stands. Ven's mouth drops open in shock as he stares at none other than the same kind of heartless that had killed Tay. Fear and shock freezes him in place even as the towering heartless bends down and strikes at him with one of it's hands.

_Move!_

Ven is jerked out of his stupor by the voice and he dives forward, rolling out of the way just before the heartless' huge hand slams into the spot he had been standing moments before. Getting back to his feet, Ven adjusts his grip on his keyblade and glares at the heartless. He had defeated one just like it before, he can do it again.

As the heartless straightens up, he charges forward and leaps onto the hand still close to the ground. As soon as he lands he jumps again launching himself up into the air. He reaches eye level with the heartless and with two hands he swings his keyblade over head and slams it down on the heartless' face. It stumbles back, but Ven doesn't stop. Caught up in the sudden fury that had taken him over, he viciously strikes the heartless that killed his best friend. The momentum of each hit keeps him in the air and it isn't until the heartless raises one large hand to swat at him that he lets himself fall back to the ground.

_Embrace your anger._

Ignoring the voice, Ven charges the heartless as it falls to it's knees. Thinking he had weakened it, Ven jumps forward with his keyblade out to strike it in the chest. However, the heartless is just preparing for its next attack. Ven is caught off guard when a ball of darkness bursts out of the heart shaped hole in the center of the heartless' chest. The ball slams into him sending him tumbling back and his keyblade flying out of his hand. He lands hard on his back on the stained glass and grimaces in pain as he pushes himself back onto his feet. As soon as he is back upright, he is forced to dive back to the ground as another ball of darkness nearly hits him again.

On his stomach, Ven looks up to see his keyblade stabbed into the ground halfway between him and the heartless. Ven pulls himself towards it in an army crawl repeatedly having to duck his head and roll quickly to avoid the balls of darkness the heartless keeps shooting at him. When he gets within a few feet, he jumps up and sprints to his keyblade. As he races towards his keyblade, the heartless sends out another ball of darkness that locks on to him and flies right at him. With a final burst of speed, Ven dives forward grabbing his keyblade by the hilt and yanking it out of the ground. Doing so, he flips over and when he comes back to facing forward the ball of darkness is nearly on top of him. Ven slashes horizontally at it just before it hits him and sends it back at the heartless, striking it right in the chest.

As Ven lands on his feet, the heartless falls on it's face. It lies unmoving and Ven cautiously approaches.

_You are stronger than I thought you were going to be, but you need to be stronger Ven._

Ven stops in his tracks at the voice. "Show yourself you coward!" He shouts. "Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?"

The voice just laughs.

"Shut up!"

_Let me out and I will show you true strength._

"I said shut up," Ven yells clenching his hand around his keyblade. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'm not doing anything you say."

_For now. But what about when you need me. When your friends are in danger._

"Are you threatening my friends? Big mistake."

_How can I threaten your friends, idiot? I'm stuck in here. No, just remember I'm here when you realize how weak you are. _

"I'm not weak!" Ven shouts, but there is no response. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Who are you?"

There is no response and Ven sighs giving up on talking to the voice. He turns back to the heartless to see it getting up once again. It raises it's hand to swipe at him and he readies himself.

_Vanitas._

The voice is suddenly right in his ear, and Ven jumps in surprise looking for the source. By the time he turns back to the heartless he has no time to block the attack, and the large hand hits him in the side knocking him back to the edge of the station. As his body slides off the edge of the platform, he tries to hold on, but he can't find a grip and with a scream he falls into the darkness. As the platform disappears into the darkness, he can hear the same insane laugh of the voice mocking him until it fades away, replaced by another voice.

"C'mon. C'mon Ven. Wake up."

Terra's voice seems to be coming from so far away. It draws him back out of the darkness. As Ven comes back to his senses he can feel something press down on his stomach, and water seems to spew out of him from everywhere. For a moment, the flow stops and he sucks in a deep breath, then the pressure on his stomach returns. He retches, and water pours out of his mouth and nose once more. Coughing and taking in huge gulps of air, Ven opens his eyes blearily blinking in the bright sunlight. Turning his head slightly, he sees Terra press on his stomach again, and water rushes out once more, but not quite as much.

Still coughing, Ven pushes himself half into a sitting position. The sun is suddenly blocked, and he looks up to see Aqua standing over him, her eyes shining with worry. "Oh Ven, thank god!" She says putting her hands on his shoulders to keep him from getting up. "Are you hurt? Are you alright?" Ven just stares back at her unable to come up with any words. "Ven?"

"I...I," Ven tries to say, but his mind is moving so sluggishly, like it is waterlogged. "I think...I'm going to be sick."

Now sure that he is about to puke, Ven pushes away Aqua's hands and gets unsteadily to his feet. In a couple stumbling steps, he makes it the side of the boat, and clutching the railing, he heaves over the side spewing out the rest of the water and what remains of his lunch. He can feel Aqua rubbing his back soothingly, and he continues to retch until his stomach is completely empty. He remains hunched over the side for a few moments trying to regain his breath, then turns and collapses to the deck leaning back against the side with a groan.

Terra and Aqua both crouch next to him frowning in worry. "What was that thing?" He asks them tiredly. "It was huge. With all these teeth, and no eyes. No eyes!" Closing his own eyes, Ven holds his head and mumbles, "Well whatever it was, it's dead now."

"And that is indeed reason to celebrate."

Ven removes his hand from his head and opens his eyes in surprise. He looks around to see who spoke, but there is no one besides Terra and Aqua. "Who?" He asks confused.

Terra smiles. "Are you strong enough to get up Ven?" Ven nods and lets Terra pull him to his feet. Terra leads him to the bow of the boat saying, "Ven I would like you to meet, King Triton, Ruler of the Sea. I think you need to give him your thanks for saving you."

Looking over the edge of the boat, Ven stares in surprise at the bare chested man in the water. His hair and beard are soft brown and bushy, hanging draped over his shoulders. Set on his head is a golden crown. His hair along with his dark serious eyes gives him the aura of power and majesty, but seeing Ven his stoic face face breaks into a kind smile. "I am happy to see you conscious lad."

"You and me both sir," Ven says. "Thank you for saving me."

"It is I who should be thanking you," King Triton says. "That monster has been a threat for too long. Too many of my best soldiers have been sent to Davy Jones' Locker by that blasted thing. But you, my boy, have saved us."

"Us?" Ven asks curiously.

King Triton smiles. "Yes, my kingdom is eternally grateful for your help. My call for assistance from the keyblade wielders at the time felt like a long shot, but you came and brought the end to that monster's reign of terror."

As the king speaks, small splashes makes Ven look around to see in surprise that several others have joined King Triton in floating in the water. All eyes are on him and the adoration on each of their faces makes Ven feel uncomfortable all of a sudden. Trying to relax, Ven puts his hands behind his head and leans back. "So...uh...you were the king who sent the letter," Ven says not knowing what to say. He glances around again and swears there are more people in the water now.

"Indeed," King Triton says as a woman moves to his side. Her long auburn hair is held back out of her face by an elegant version of King Triton's crown. She flashes Ven a beautiful smile as she wraps an arm around King Triton and he wraps one around her.

"Is this him Triton?" She asks and King Triton nods. "But he is only a child!"

"A child he may be, but he has the strength of the ancient heroes," Triton says in reply and Ven blinks in surprise at the compliment. "It is not age, but strength of heart that defines us."

"I agree," the woman says softly to Triton, then turning to Ven, "I did not intend to insult you."

"Oh, it's okay," Ven says.

"And I did not catch your name."

"I'm Ventus," Ven says. "Call me Ven."

"Well Ven, it is very nice to meet you. I am Queen Athena," Queen Athena says.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I found!" A young girl pops out of the water in a spray of water and bright red hair. Clutched in her hand is a corked bottle with what appears to be a piece of paper sealed inside. "It was just floating around and I found it," she says excitedly holding it out for Queen Athena to see.

"Ariel," King Triton says in a stern voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that you mustn't take things from the human world."

Pouting, Ariel reluctantly hands the bottle over to her father who in turn hands it to a surprised Ven. "King Triton, this isn't mine."

"But it is from the outside world, like you," King Triton says. "It does not belong in my ocean."

Not sure what to say, Ven just stands there rolling the glass bottle between his hands, curious to see what is inside. Thankfully, Aqua breaks the increasingly awkward silence saying, "We should be returning home."

"Thank you again for your assistance keyblade wielders," King Triton says.

"If you ever require our assistance again you know how to reach us," Terra says and King Triton nods.

"Goodbye and thank you," Queen Athena says as Aqua casts her spell once more and directs the boat back in the direction of the far off shore. Looking back, Ven gives a small wave and the young red hair Ariel waves energetically back. As they retreat farther and farther into the distance, Ven continues to watch them. One by one they dive back underwater, and as they do so, sunlight catches the scales of their tails.

"Fish people?" Ven says in wonder.

"Merpeople to be politically correct," Terra replies. "You're telling me you didn't notice that entire time that you were talking to a merman."

"No," Ven says quietly. "I guess that explains a lot."

Terra just shakes his head with a smile. "You never did apologize for puking in their home."

"What do you- Oh my god," Ven looks back at the ocean horrified. "You're right. I didn't even think about- That's so gross!" Ven buries his face his hands in embarrassment trying to ignore Terra as he laughs his head off.

…

"What the hell?" Ven says as he walks into the sitting room back home. All the furniture in the room had been pushed out of place and three different colored sheets had been hung to create a tent that took up the entire room. Terra and Aqua join him as Sora pops his head out through the gap between two of the sheets.

"You're back!" Sora shouts excitedly before disappearing back into the tent. "They're back!" They can hear him shout and after a moment the sheet is pulled open again and this time Master Eraqus and Riku join Sora in grinning up at the trio.

"We built a fort!" Riku says smugly.

"Sweet!" Ven says and pushes the bottle he had been holding into Terra's hands. Master Eraqus, Sora, and Riku all quickly move out of the way as Ven dives into their fort landing on the pillows spread out inside. Sora makes the mistake of moving too close to him, and Ven grabs him pulling him into a smothering hug.

Sora shrieks and tries to pull away. "Ven! You're all wet! Let go! Lemme go!" When Ven releases him, Sora pouts and sticks his tongue out at him.

"How did you get soaked Ventus?" Master Eraqus asks with a frown.

"Ven decided to go for a little swim," Terra says from outside the fort.

"Oh very funny Terra," Ven says sitting up to glare at him. Terra and Aqua are crouched at the front of the fort holding open the sheets.

"Ven you should go change into dry clothes," Aqua says.

"Later Aqua," Ven says waving her off and falling back on the pillows with a sigh.

Aqua makes a move like she is going to go in and drag him out, but Riku crawls over to her. "No girls allowed!"

Aqua looks at him with an indignant expression. Ven bursts out laughing. "Yeah! No girls allowed! I don't think I'm ever coming out of here!"

Straightening up, Aqua stalks away from the fort and the laughs coming from inside with her head held high. Terra glances between the fort and Aqua before getting up and following her out of the room. She slips out the front doors of the castle and he hastily follows her.

Stepping outside, he looks around, but doesn't see where she went. Frowning, he opens his mouth to call out to her when,

"Boo!"

Terra jumps and whirls around to find Aqua giggling at his surprised expression. She had been hiding behind the doors he had just swung open, and as she steps forward, she closes the doors with a soft click. "Gotcha," she says with a grin.

"Looks like you did," Terra says moving closer. "You got me all alone with the others on the other side of this closed door."

"Just what I wanted," Aqua whispers interlocking her fingers with Terra's. He leans down and pulls her into a deep kiss that takes her breath away. Pulling away for only long enough to take another deep breath, Aqua takes her hands out of Terra's and instead wraps them around his neck as she kisses him again. Terra's hands rest on her hips pulling her right up against him.

"Mmm...Terra," Aqua says breaking away for a moment. "Something's poking me."

"Oh it's that stupid bottle," Terra says reaching into his pocket and pulling out the bottle Ven had thrust into his hands.

"I wonder what's inside it," Aqua says taking it from him.

"I don't know..." Terra says without much thought. He pulls her back into a kiss and she kisses back for a moment before pulling away.

"Let's take a look," Aqua says and with a sigh of acceptance Terra takes a step back. She inspects the bottle for a moment before turning it and tugging at the corked end. The cork doesn't budge and frowning she tries again. Watching her struggle, Terra holds out his hand. With another failed attempt to open it, Aqua gives up and hands it over. Terra tugs hard and the cork comes out with a pop. "I loosened it," Aqua says.

Rolling his eyes, Terra hands her back the now open bottle without a word. Shaking the bottle, Aqua reaches a finger into the slender neck and succeeds with some difficulty at extracting the piece of paper. As she unfurls it, Terra moves to stand next to her, and she holds it out for both of them to see. There are no words, just pictures in light pastel colors. "Uh...what's it supposed to be?" Terra asks Aqua.

"Well...these animals look familiar," Aqua says racking her brain. "Oh!" She exclaims. "It's the same animals that were on that book we had to return to Merlin in Traverse Town."

"So it is one of the missing pages?" Terra says looking at the ripped edge of the paper. "Didn't Master Eraqus say that the book could be magical if the pages were put back in?"

"You're right! Let's go show him," Aqua says before hurrying back into the castle with Terra close behind. They enter the sitting room again as Master Eraqus climbs out of the fort and straightens up stretching. Catching sight of them, he smiles and puts his finger to his lips. Curious, they walk over and he lifts the sheet up so Terra and Aqua can peek in.

Ven is sprawled out on top of most of the pillows and snoring softly. Both Sora and Riku are curled up next to him each resting their heads on pillows they had placed on Ven's stomach to protect themselves from Ven's wet clothes. "I guess Ven isn't the only one who has had a long day," Terra whispers as he and Aqua draw back. Master Eraqus lets the sheet fall back in place and beckons his two students to follow him. Quietly, they slip out of the room and into the kitchen.

"So I assume you found the monster terrorizing Atlantica?" Master Eraqus prompts Terra and Aqua as he begins to prepare a cup of tea.

"Actually, Ven is the one who found it," Aqua says. "Or, I guess, it found him." Aqua continues telling Master Eraqus about their adventures in Atlantica starting with King Thomas. She avoids mentioning what happened on the beach saying that they all just fell asleep quickly. When it came to telling Master Eraqus about Ven being pulled overboard by the sea monster, Aqua tried her best to be brief and not make it sound as terrifying as it had been for her and Terra. Still, Master Eraqus' face paled as she recounted the moment King Triton had surfaced with Ven in his arms, unconscious and not breathing. She quickly soothed him saying how quickly they were able to wake him and explaining the conversation with King Triton.

"Terra and I discovered this in the bottle he gave us," Aqua says handing Master Eraqus the paper. He glances it over quickly as Aqua continues. "It looks kinda like the book we returned to Merlin."

"Indeed it does," Master Eraqus says. "I am almost certain it came from that same book." He thinks for a moment before continuing. "I must meet with him and show this to him. We can all go. I know you want to see the friends you made while you were there again."

"That sounds like a great idea," Terra says with a smile. "I'm sure Ven, Sora, and Riku will appreciate a relaxing day."

"Alright," Master Eraqus says finishing off the last of his tea. "It is settled. We will leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

**Dream for Tonight: You get full credit for the dive to the heart scene at the beginning of this chapter. I hadn't even thought of doing that, but when you said that I was like genius! So I hope you liked it.**

**MLSoT: Don't bite me! I updated! **

**Zephyr26: Don't worry. Zack will be back real soon, and I'm planning on making it rain fluff when they meet again.**

**Yay! Ven's alive! And we're goin' to Traverse Town again which I'm sure you are all going to LOVE. Just wait, you'll love it. But, before that it's time to turn our attention back to Carinol 'cause Braig has been busy and is about to find out all about Keric.**

**Birthday wishes were much appreciated :) I got everything I wanted for my b-day and being just an average teenager that means I got money and a pre-order of KH 1.5!**

**Atra gülai un ilian tauthr ono un atra ono waíse sköliro frá rauthr. **


	22. The First Boy

Chapter 22 _The First Boy_

The too thin walls of the crummy apartment mean that the sounds of the couple arguing next door is loud enough to wake Braig from his deep sleep. Rolling out of bed, he stands stretching his arms high above his head. It had been one crazy night. Letting his arms fall back to his sides, he begins to search around the bed for his boxers. Finding them, he slips them on while glancing back at the bed he had just vacated. Meleka is still fast asleep twisted up in a blanket.

Walking across the room, Braig reaches the window and pulls up the curtain just enough to peek out. Meleka's apartment is on the fifth story of her building and provides a mostly unobstructed view over the city of Whin. From his vantage point, Braig can see the old, dark castle in the middle of the city which looms forebodingly over all the other buildings. That is where he is going next.

Braig moves quickly, but silently as he gathers the rest of his clothes strewn across the room. As he dresses, he thinks back to the night before, making sure he remembered every detail perfectly.

_**Just as dusk fell, Braig slipped into the dark alley and waited in the shadows for the girl to come out. He didn't wait long as, like every other night he had sat in this alley and surveyed the service entrance of the castle, the girl left at precisely 7 o'clock. She passed by him in her light blue maid outfit without even noticing him there. **_

_**She continued down the street and he left his hiding place to follow her. The streets were mostly deserted at this hour, roamed mostly by muggers and their unfortunate victims. Following her without her noticing him proved to be difficult, but he did it. From a block away, he watched her enter a bar with a shaggy dog painted above the entrance. **_

_**When he also went inside, he was greeted by the smell of warm bodies and beer. The place was packed with a boisterous mob of people all drunk off their asses. Fighting his way across the room, Braig once again laid eyes on his prize. She was sitting at a corner table with a beer bottle in her hand. Sitting across from her was a drunk practically drooling over her. Annoyed by the disruption in his plan, Braig moved within earshot trying to figure out a way to get her alone.**_

_**"Baby you look so pretty in the moonlight," the man said slurring his words.**_

_**"We're inside Finch," the girl said cooly.**_

_**"C'mon baby let's head back to my place," Finch said grabbing her hand in his two sweaty ones.**_

_**"Not tonight," the girl said disgusted as she pulls back her hand. **_

_**"But baby," Finch said reaching under the table and touching her thigh. She jumped and tried to slap his hand away, but he didn't stop. **_

_**"No Finch. Get your hands off me," she said with a trace of fear in her voice.**_

_**"Shh babe, let's not talk tonight," Finch said. "Let's head back to my place and- Hey!"**_

_**Braig had decided to step in and had grabbed Finch by the scruff of his neck pulling him out of his seat. "The lady said no," he said coldly. "If I were you I'd run home with the tail between your legs before someone beats you up."**_

_**Braig released Finch who ran off right away with a frightened expression. "Hmph," Braig said turning back to the girl at the table who was looking at him in shock. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Braig."**_

_**"Meleka," she said slowly. "I guess I should say thank you for getting rid of Finch. He only gets like that when he's drunk."**_

_**"No thanks needed," Braig said. "That guy had no right treating such a lovely lady as yourself in such an offensive way."**_

Now dressed, Braig slips out the door of the apartment without waking Meleka. He smiles to himself as he walks down the five flights of stairs to ground level. It had been so easy to seduce her. It had only taken him an hour to convince her to take him home with her.

_**"So tell me a bit about yourself," Braig said to her as they walked arm and arm away from the bar. "From that uniform I take it you work for the royal family."**_

_**"Yeah, I've beena maid there for five years now," she replied. "Five years of cleaning up after that ungrateful little freak."**_

_**"The prince?" Braig asked trying to sound only slightly curious, but his eyes gleamed with triumph. "Is he really that bad?"**_

_**"The stories I could tell you would make your hand stand on end," she said. "This town's got a lot of freaks and perverts in it, but Prince Keric takes the cake."**_

_**"I find that hard to believe," Braig said egging her on. **_

_**"You don't believe me? Ha. Let me just tell you a story then." Now she is riled up, and Braig could just sit back and listen as she goes off on exactly how horrible a person Keric is. She had many stories about him and his treatment of the younger servants, but it's her last story that he listened attentively too.**_

_**"Do you remember that massacre at the festival for Keric's birthday last year? Maybe you don't. Well, this young boy was arrested for it. But he was never executed. That was Keric's doing. He convinced his father that the boy, I forget his name, should be spared so Keric could have a friend close to his age. A play thing was more like it. That poor boy took the brunt of Keric's mood swings. One day I'd listen to Keric beat him to a pulp and the next I'd find them making out on the couch. Keric kept him around for months. And things just got worse and worse for the boy as Keric found new ways to humiliate him. I remember in the last weeks he was at the castle, the boy wasn't allowed to wear a shirt and he had to put up with Keric groping him all the time. Keric was getting crueler and I kept waiting for the day that I'd have to clean sheets covered in blood and semen from the night before. I'm sure it would have happened eventually, if you ever met Keric you would know he was completely capable, but somehow that boy got out and he ran away before Keric could go that far. Keric has tried the same thing with other boys, but it isn't long before he tosses them aside. He is obsessed with that first boy. I think he would stop at nothing to get him back if he only knew where to look."**_

_**Meleka stopped in front of an old apartment building and turned to smile at Braig who was still trying to wrap his head around what she had told him. He started slightly when she put her arms around him and pulled him into a rough kiss.**_

_**"Now let's forget all about that," Meleka said pulling him inside and up the stairs. "We have our own mess to make."**_

_**Braig let her lead him up to her apartment with a grin. He had done his job and gotten the information he needed, now it was time for his bonus.**_

Braig stops short in front of the gate to the castle. The information he had gotten from Meleka had been even better than he had expected. He is almost done with his mission in Carinol, but there is one last thing to do. He has to see the Keric boy with his own eyes. If everything he had heard is true, Keric would be a perfect pawn with which Xehanort could awaken the darkness in Ventus.

…

Sora and Riku walk bleary eyed into the kitchen around eight still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Master Eraqus is the only one up and catches sight of them over his cup of tea. "Good morning boys," he says with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Both of them nod and Riku looks around. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"

"Whatever you guys want," Master Eraqus says with a smile.

"Really?" Riku says a little surprised.

Sora however doesn't question Master Eraqus and says with a big smile, "I want waffles!"

"Alright waffles it is," Master Eraqus says getting up beginning to gather the necessary ingredients. As he gets the waffle maker down, Aqua walks into the kitchen her short hair stuck up at odd angles from sleeping.

"Waffles?" She says hopefully seeing Master Eraqus plugging in the waffle maker. He nods and with a smile she joins Sora and Riku at the table. "Did you two enjoy sleeping in the fort last night?" She asks them and they both nod earnestly.

"But Ven kicks when he sleeps," Sora tells her.

"Did you kick him back?" Terra asks as he enters the kitchen and joins them at the table.

"Yeah, but he didn't wake up," Riku replies.

"He's still asleep?" Aqua asks and Sora nods. "Well, why don't I go get him."

"Sorry Aqua you can't do that," Terra says standing. She looks at him confused and he continues. "That fort has a strict no girls policy. I'll go get him."

Terra runs out before she can yell at him and chuckles to himself as he makes his way to the fort entrance. "Hey Ven, up and at 'em," Terra calls loudly. A groan is the only response he gets. Sighing, Terra lifts open the sheets only to be met with a pillow thrown in his face.

"Get out," Ven moans into the pillows he is currently burying his face in. "Trying to sleep."

"Get up."

"No."

"Alright you asked for it," Terra says with a shrug. He bends down, grabs Ven's ankles, and tugs hard.

"No!" Ven moans as he finds himself dragged out of the fort. He kicks his feet forcing Terra to let go.

"Ow! Sora was right, you are a kicker," Terra mutters rubbing his arm.

"Damn right I'm going to kick you," Ven says now more awake. Still lying on the ground, Ven kicks up at Terra aiming for his crotch.

Terra jumps back. "Why you little-"

"No fighting before breakfast!" Master Eraqus' voice calls from the door of the kitchen. They look over to see him waving a batter covered spatula at them. "Now get in here or neither of you are getting waffles." Terra and Ven exchange a glance before Ven scrambles to his feet and they hurry into the kitchen to join the others for breakfast.

…

"Where are we goin'?" Sora asks curiously as he hops down the front steps of the castle behind the others.

"Traverse Town," Terra answers. "It's a different world."

"It better not be lame," Riku says crossing his arms.

"It'll be fun," Aqua says ruffling Riku's hair. He pouts and moves away from her putting his hair back in it's proper place. "There is lots of nice people there to meet."

"Sora, do you want to ride on my glider again?" Ven asks and Sora immediately jumps up and down.

"Yeah! It was fun!"

"No," Master Eraqus says firmly ruining the fun. "There is a safer way to go."

"Aww," Ven and Sora say together making identical pouts.

"If we aren't going to use our gliders how are we going to get there?" Aqua asks confused.

"Using a light corridor," Master Eraqus explains. "It is a new piece of magic I will teach you later, but I will demonstrate it today." Master Eraqus steps away from them, and holds his hand out straight in front of him. It starts as a pinprick of light, but soon the small light in front of him swirls out until it becomes a huge white portal. Master Eraqus lets his hand fall and takes a step back. "Riku, Sora," he says and they move to his side each taking his hands which he held out to them. "Let's go." Master Eraqus leads his apprentices into the light and all turns white for a moment.

When the light fades, the group stands blinking for a moment as they take in their new surroundings. Terra and Aqua recognize the place immediately. "This is the second district," Aqua says to Master Eraqus who nods as he looks around.

"Where is Merlin's house?" He asks her.

"Er, actually I don't know," Aqua admits looking around. "Oh, but look. There's Aerith. She will know."

Aqua had spotted the woman in pink sitting on the edge of the wishing fountain like the last time they had been here. She looks up and smiles as she sees Terra and Aqua lead the others over to her. "Hello again," Aerith says softly. "It is good to see you Aqua, Terra. You brought more visitors with you."

"Yes this is our teacher, Master Eraqus, and Sora, Riku, and Ven," Terra says pointing out who is who.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," Aerith says smiling at the group. "What are you searching for today?"

"We are hoping to speak with Merlin," Master Eraqus says. "Do you know which house is his?"

"Of course," Aerith says. "He lives in the Third District, but you won't find him there. He is at the 7th Heaven with the others working on a new defense system for the town."

"Alright, we'll head over there and find him and say hey to the others," Terra says. "Thanks Aerith."

"I'll join you," Aerith says. "Tifa was watching over Marlene this morning so I could get some work done at the hotel. I should take her off her hands." Aerith stands from her seat on the edge of the fountain. "Oh! I forgot to ask. Did the fountain grant you your wishes?"

"Not yet." "Yes."

Terra and Aqua both speak at the same time, and Terra looks at Aqua who immediately blushes. "Really? But I thought we both wished for-"

"Let's go see the others," Aqua says quickly hurrying up the stairs and the group follows her. Terra is the last to go looking back at the fountain with a frown wondering what Aqua had actually wished for. Walking through the doors to the first district Terra is lost in thought until he feels a tugging on his hand. Looking down he sees Riku who stops tugging on his hand asks, "Can I have a piggy back ride?"

"'Course you can," Terra says crouching down. Riku happily jumps on his back and wraps his arms and legs around Terra securely. Terra straightens up and starts to sprint to the bar with Riku laughing in his ear. He runs right past Master Eraqus and the others and beats them to the 7th Heaven. Terra waits tapping his foot for the others to catch up. When they do, he and Aqua walk inside first catching the attention of everyone inside.

Tifa and Cloud are behind the bar and are the first to notice the new arrivals. "Terra and Aqua," Tifa calls out across the room. "You're back."

As they make their way over, Yuffie jumps up from her seat at a table with Leon and Merlin, and runs over pulling a surprised Aqua into a quick hug. "Oh my god! I've missed you guys! Oh look you brought your other friends. Hello sweetie. Aren't you the cutest thing?" Yuffie bends down to look at Sora who had been standing next to Aqua. He backs up quickly and hides behind Ven's leg peeking one blue eye around Ven's leg to watch her.

"Ya scared him," Cid says getting up from his seat on the floor where he had been playing with Aerith's daughter Marlene. "Not that I'm surprised. You're always lousy with children." Cid moves in front of her crouching at Sora's level. "Hey kid, I'm Cid," he says in a surprising gentle voice. "What's your name?"

Sora looks up at Ven who nods and smiles at him. Sora turns back and says shyly, "I'm Sora."

"Well Sora it's really nice to meet ya," Cid says. "Do ya wanna play? We have cars and planes." He gestures over to the pile of toys next to Marlene who is watching the scene with wide eyes.

Sora nods and lets go of Ven's leg. "C'mon Riku," he calls. Riku wiggles around so Terra crouches down and lets Riku get off his back. He runs after Sora and Cid joining them, Marlene, and the toys.

As the kids and Cid go off to play, Aqua introduces everyone else. "Master Eraqus, Ven, these are our friends, Tifa, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, and of course Merlin." She indicates who is who and Master Eraqus steps forward to shake each of their hands.

"You have some pretty impressive pupils sir," Leon says as he shakes Master Eraqus' hand.

"Thank you," Master Eraqus says slightly surprised.

"It is nice to meet you, and Ven," Tifa says warmly as she shakes his hand. "If you are hungry I can get something ready for you."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary we already ate," Master Eraqus says ignoring Terra's disappointed expression.

"Nice to meet you," Cloud says quietly as they shake hands.

"Eraqus my old friend," Merlin says shaking Master Eraqus' hand with both of his. "It is very nice to see you again. And Ventus, Yen Sid has told me many things about you, my boy."

"He has?" Ven says surprised. "Like what? Master Eraqus didn't let me ask any questions when I met him."

"Oh," Merlin says not sure what to say now. "He just mentioned that you would be either-"

"That is enough Merlin," Master Eraqus says firmly.

Ven rounds on his master. "Why won't you tell me anything?" He asks angrily.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus says in a hard voice. "This is not the time nor the place." Ven continues to glare at him, but let's the subject drop for the moment.

"So," Aqua says trying to pass over the awkward moment. "Uh...Aerith was telling us that you were working on a new town defense system."

"Yes we are," Leon says. "We are hoping to come up with a way of setting up an automatic response to any threat in the town. It's a long way off, but it will make our jobs easier. With only four of us on the Defense Militia, it is hard to be everywhere at once in times of danger."

"Four of you?" Terra asks. "I thought it was just you, Yuffie, and Cloud on the Defense Militia."

"Tifa's cousin returned," Cloud explains. "Do you remember I told you he was training with us before he ran off? Well he's back and he has become a soldier as well."

"I'll get him," Tifa says walking down the hallway that leads to the house beyond the bar. "He'll be happy to meet you."

While they wait for her to return, Terra, Aqua, Ven, and Master Eraqus sit down around one of the tables and Ven takes the moment to continue arguing with Master Eraqus. "What are you hiding from me? What aren't you telling me?"

"Ventus, I told you not to talk about this right now," Master Eraqus says obviously annoyed.

"So you are keeping something from me."

"Not right now Ventus," Master Eraqus says in a dangerous voice. So Ven lets it drop for the moment and turns away from his master to stare pointedly at the wall instead. He sits with his angry expression and his arms crossed until Terra and Aqua say something that makes him jump in surprise.

"Zack?"

"Terra? Aqua?"

The familiar voice makes Ven turn his head in shock to see none other than Zack Fair standing next to Tifa. Zack's eyes widen in shock as he sees Ven as well.

His mouth drops open, but it takes him a moment to stammers out, "Ve-Ven?"

* * *

**Mexi: Yep that was Ven's heart in the last chapter. Vanitas is in there and wants out, but Ven was like nope. I'm really glad you liked the last chapter so much 'cause it was such a struggle for me to write. I don't really know why, but it was. I guess it came out good enough though!**

**Dream for Tonight: That won't be Vanitas' only appearance. He will be back to mess with Ven eventually.**

**SnowKawasagi: Glad someone thinks I'm funny. :)**

**MLSoT: Ouch, writers block is the worst. Drink coffee. Caffeine always like jump starts my brain when I'm stuck.**

**I just realized how much I spoiled all of you with this chapter. You got to find out more about Keric AND Zack came back. **

**I just want to be absolutely perfectly clear on one thing. Keric never ever got in Ven's pants. Never ever. I hope you didn't get the wrong impression from Meleka's story.  
**

**And on a happier note; Zack is back so I must warn you now...**

**THE FLUFF IS COMING! **


	23. Starting Over

Chapter 23 _Starting Over_

"How are you- What are you doing here?" Zack forces out still staring dumbfounded at Ven.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Ven says in response rising from his chair. He can't take his eyes off Zack. He felt like if he did Zack might disappear again.

"Zack?" Tifa says reminding the boys they aren't alone. "Have you already met?"

Zack nods slowly. "Ven...we met at the Coliseum."

"This is him?" Cloud says quietly and Zack blushes just a bit as he nods. Zack and Ven continue their uninterrupted stare as an uncomfortable silence descends on the bar.

"Do you want to-" "How 'bout we-"

Both Ven and Zack try to speak at the same time and can't help but laugh slightly.

"Uh," Zack says scratching the back of his head. "Why don't I show you around or something Ven?"

"Yeah," Ven agrees a little too quickly. "That would be...nice."

"'Kay," Zack says moving to the door of the bar. Ven follows glancing at Terra and Aqua as he walks away. Aqua gives him a small smile and Terra nods looking confident. Ven relaxes slightly and walks out the door Zack is holding open for him.

When the door swings shut behind them, Yuffie can no longer contain herself. "Somebody better tell me what the hell just happened before I scream!" Yuffie shouts jumping up and glaring around daring them to deny her.

"Yuffie," Leon says quietly touching her arm lightly in an attempt to calm her down. She just shrugs his hand away.

"Well?" She demands. "What's going on with those two?"

Terra looks at Aqua, and they both turn to look at Tifa and Cloud. "We just have to wait and see," Cloud says speaking up. That is not enough for Yuffie as she explodes with a million more questions each more personal than the last.

…

Ven follows Zack nervously playing with the zipper of his jacket. In silence, they walk away from the bar and up the steps that lead to the other shops. At the top step in front of the Highwind Market, Zack turns to face Ven who freezes for a moment staring into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Ven..." Zack says and then pauses not knowing what to say. Ven lets go of the jacket zipper and shoves his hands in his pocket looking to the side to avoid Zack's eyes. Taking a deep breath Ven summons the courage to speak still not looking at Zack.

"So you made it home," he mumbles.

"Yeah. I did," Zack says and Ven sneaks a glance at him to find Zack staring at him. Blushing, Ven looks away again.

"And Tifa is your cousin?" Ven says trying to prevent the awkward silence from returning.

Zack nods. "I was the youngest besides Marlene to escape when our homeworld was destroyed. Tifa took me in and then Cloud started living with us when they started getting serious."

"It's nice that she was there for you," Ven says glancing up at Zack again and finding that he can hold his gaze.

"Mmhm," Zack hums. This time he is the one to look away. "Ven, I-I'm so sorry about what happened. I bet you hate me. It was so cowardly for me to run away like that."

"I don't hate you Zack," Ven says quickly and Zack's head snaps around his eyes filled with relief. "I mean it hurt a lot." Zack looks down ashamed. "But I forgive you."

"You do?" Zack's eyes are filled with hope and Ven smiles.

"Of course."

Zack grins back. "Can we start over Ven?"

"I'd like that," Ven says taking a step closer. "If you think you're ready."

Zack raises a hand to cup Ven's cheek. "More than ready." Zack begins to lean in and they both close their eyes.

_BANG!_

They both jump slightly and look back towards the bar where the door had just been thrown open. Terra, Aqua, Sora, and Riku walk out the door with Merlin and Master Eraqus following behind them. Zack lets his hand fall and takes half a step back. Sora is laughing at Riku whose disgruntled face makes Ven wonder what Sora is teasing him about, and Merlin and Master Eraqus are oblivious to the others as they walk deep in conversation. Terra and Aqua are the only ones to notice the two boys standing at the top of the steps. Terra gives them a wave as the group of six continues across the square headed for the third district.

"C'mon," Zack says in Ven's ear and he turns to see Zack blushing fiercely. "I know a place more private."

Zack takes his hand and Ven obediently follows him to the left of the Highwind Market and down an alley that ends in a dead end. Secluded in the shadows of the high walls on either side, Zack stops and pulls Ven in close to him. Ven closes his eyes as Zack leans down. The first brush of Zack's lips on his is like a bolt of electricity through his body. As Zack presses closer, Ven melts against him, wrapping his arms around Zack's waist, and feels Zack's arms around him.

Zack bites slightly at Ven's bottom lip, and Ven can't help but moan slightly. Zack's hands are moving is small circles on his lower back, and Ven slides his hands up and down Zack's back feeling his hard muscles shiver at his touch. Zack pulls away slightly, and Ven opens his eyes breathing hard. Zack's forehead is resting against his and he's breathing hard as well, but smiling wider than Ven has ever seen. Grinning, Ven tilts his chin up bring Zack back into their kiss. This time, Ven moves his arms around Zack's neck and tangles his fingers in his long hair. Zack's hands move a little lower as he hesitantly opens his mouth. Ven responds instinctively letting Zack take control.

Ven's head is spinning and the fireworks refuse to stop. As Zack presses more forcefully against Ven, Ven takes a couple steps back. Before he knows it, he is pressed against the wall of the alley. He and Zack break for a moment to look in each others eyes for a brief second before continuing with their passionate kiss. What seems like an eternity later Zack pulls away to give them both some air. "You know what?" Zack breathes out.

"What?" Ven asks before pulling Zack back to him.

Zack kisses back for a moment then moves his lips to Ven's ear. "I still can't believe you are really here," Zack whispers.

Ven can't help but shiver as Zack brushes his lips back across his face and returns to making out with him slower than before. Ven pulls away and moves his lips to Zack's ear. "I still can't believe you want this," he whispers and then cuddles his head against Zack's neck. Zack holds him tight for a moment before sliding his hands up to Ven's face and pulling him away so they can look each other in the eye.

Tracing Ven's cheekbones with his thumbs, Zack says softly, but seriously, "I have always wanted this, but you know..." He leans down and kisses Ven still caressing his face. Pulling away just enough to talk, he continues, "Coming out to Tifa and Cloud was hard." He kisses Ven again, but Ven pulls away so he can look at Zack.

"How bad was it?" He asks with a worried expression. Zack shrugs and tries to kiss Ven again, but Ven stops him. "How bad was it Zack?"

Sighing, Zack backs away from Ven and sits on a wooden crate on the other side of the alley. Ven sits down beside him and after a moment Zack speaks. "It was...uncomfortable to say the least. I just, you know, told them about meeting you and the fight against the Hydra. Then I told them I kissed you. They were shocked, but they seem ok with it."

"That's good," Ven says hesitantly confused on why Zack doesn't seem all that happy.

"Yeah, it's good," Zack agrees. "I just didn't expect it to be so easy. There wasn't any yelling and they didn't ask a million questions. It just wasn't what I had feared it would be."

"I was anxious when I told Terra and Aqua that I was gay," Ven says. "But it was the same thing. They didn't make a big deal out of it. People who love us and care about us are more accepting than we realize I think."

"You know," Zack says slowly. "I think you're right Ven." Ven smiles and Zack wraps an arm around Ven's waist pulling him close. Ven leans in and kisses him gently resting his hands lightly on Zack's chest. When he runs out of air, Ven pulls away, gently pulling himself out of Zack's hold. Standing he says to Zack with a grin, "You said you were going to show me the town."

Zack stands with an exaggerated disappointed sigh that makes Ven laugh slightly. "Alright," Zack says taking Ven's hand. "But only because I can't say no to you."

…

"Riku and Marlene..."

"Stop it Sora."

"Sittin' in a tree..."

"Sora-"

"K-I-S-S...S-S..." Sora stops his song for a moment, frowning as he tried to remember the rest of the letters. Riku takes the pause to try and put his hand over Sora's mouth to keep him quiet, but Sora dodges out of the way laughing. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Sora shouts and laughs as Riku's face turns bright red.

"I bet you don't even know what that spells," Riku snaps at him.

"Do too," Sora says crossing his arms. "It spells...It doesn't matter what it spells. Riku and Marlene sittin' in a tree-"

"That's enough Sora," Aqua says sternly coming to Riku's rescue. "Don't tease Riku."

Chastised, Sora turns his attention away from Riku to examine all the colorful and strange things in Merlin's house. Riku, still mad at Sora, walks away from him to join Terra and Aqua who are listening to Master Eraqus and Merlin.

"Simply amazing isn't it," Merlin says as he leans over the Winnie the Pooh book. It is opened up the ripped pages and they had just put the missing page back in it's correct spot. As soon as they had, the book had fixed itself in a flash of light. "This will require some research," he says as he lightly runs a finger down the page that looks brand new, like it had never been ripped out.

"It is quite a unique book," Master Eraqus says. "I wonder how you use its power."

"A mystery for another day," Merlin says turning away from the book. "Now then, the room upstairs is all set up for some training. It's enchanted so you can't wear your self down. You can use as much magic as you want and be no worse for wear. Even someone as young as you my boy can practice magic there." Merlin speaks to Riku who looks back with wide eyes.

"I've yet to teach Riku about magic," Master Eraqus explains to Merlin. "However, this seems like the perfect time if we can use your training room."

"Splendid," Merlin says. "Just follow me." With a wave of his wand, a tile in the ceiling descends coming to a stop at Merlin's feet. He steps onto it and is followed by Master Eraqus, Riku, Terra, and Aqua. Once they are all on, Merlin waves his wand again and the tile rises back up fitting back perfectly into the ceiling leaving the room downstairs empty and silent.

"Hey look! I found a marble," Sora calls as he holds up the tablecloth and crawls out from under the table in the center of the room. He looks around in surprise to see that he is alone. "Riku?" He says. "Huh...where did they all go?"

He starts to walk around the room looking for them when the book still flipped open to the returned page catches his eye. "A story book?" Sora says to himself. Curious, he drags a stool over and stands on it trying to be tall enough to see. Still too short, he drags some thick books over and places them on top of the stool. He scrambles to the top of the pile, and looks down at the book. "What is this?" He wonders as he leans over the book taking in the pictures of animals drawn on the page. He shifts his weight slightly as he leans closer and the unsteady pile he had been standing on collapses. With a shout, he falls onto the book and disappears.

...

"Huh?" Sora says opening his eyes and taking in the green meadow he finds himself in. As he stands there two butterflies swoop down and dance around him. He watches them with a smile and when they fly away across the meadow he chases them laughing. They fly up high into the sky and Sora waves goodbye.

"Think, think. Think, think."

Sora looks around to see who is talking and spots a small bear sitting on a log deep in thought. "Hi there!" Sora shouts as he runs up to him. "Is something wrong?" He asks peering curiously at the bear.

"Nothing. Just thinking," the bear responds. He then looks up and stares curiously at Sora. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. Who are you?"

"I'm Sora," Sora replies giving him a smile. "Who are you?"

"I'm Winnie the Pooh. Pooh for short."

The sound of a stomach rumbling makes them both start. "Oh my," Pooh says. "My tummy is getting rumbly." Pooh rubs his stomach sadly. "Do you have any honey?" He asks Sora who shakes his head no.

"Oh bother," Pooh says jumping down from the log and walking off towards one of the paths that leads away from the meadow. Sora jumps down as well and runs after his new friend. He follows Pooh to a great big tree with lots of branches. A balloon is tied to a rock at the base of the tree.

"Oh good," Pooh says walking over to the balloon. "Now I can get some honey."

"How are you gonna do that?" Sora asks.

"I shall hold on to the balloon, and fly like a bee up the Hunny Tree, see," Pooh explains working on untying the balloon from the rock.

"Can I come too?" Sora asks eagerly. Flying sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Pooh nods and Sora grabs on to the balloon as Pooh finally gets it untied. At once they rise up on the breeze getting higher and higher. At the top, they land on a branch and let the balloon float away. Pooh happily digs through the hole in the tree eating as much honey as he can. Sora sits carefully on the branch letting his feet swing back and forth.

Looking down, he sees they are really high off the ground. "Hey Pooh," Sora says slowly. "How're we gonna get back down?"

Pooh pulls his head back out of the hole and looks down as well. "Oh bother."

…

"Sora? Where'd you go?" Terra calls to the empty room as he and Aqua return to the bottom floor of Merlin's house. Upstairs Master Eraqus and Merlin are still instructing Riku, but Master Eraqus had sent them down after realizing Sora had disappeared.

"What happened over here?" Aqua says a little worried as she hurries over to the stand the magical book is on. Books and a stool are lying in a haphazard pile on the floor and as Aqua runs over she doesn't notice as she steps on a book. It slides under her foot and she looses her balance. She falls on the book just as Terra grabs her hand and they disappear.

…

Sora sits licking some honey off his hand wondering how much longer they were going to be stuck up in the tree. At least they aren't going to go hungry. The Hunny Tree seems to be an endless supply of the delicious food.

"Pooh, where did all this honey come from?" Sora asks.

"The bees make it," Pooh replies.

"Bees? Won't they be mad we took some?" Sora asks, but before Pooh can respond voices reach them.

"Sora!"

"Sora! Where are you?"

Looking down Sora spots Terra and Aqua at the base of the tree. "Hey! Hey! Up here!" He shouts waving his arms. They look around confused before looking up and spotting them.

"Sora!" They both shout relieved.

"How'd you get all the way up there?" Terra asks.

"We flew," Sora shouts back down. "But now we're stuck."

"Sit tight Sora," Aqua calls. "We'll figure something out."

While Terra and Aqua talk to each other far below, Sora and Pooh continue eating the delicious honey. Suddenly a new sound reaches their ears. Buzzing.

With a scared expression, Sora turns slowly to see a swarm of bees forming behind them. "Bees!" Sora shouts in fear and Terra and Aqua look up. "There are bees up here!"

"It's okay Sora!" Aqua shouts back trying to sound calm. "Just jump. We'll catch you."

"But..." Sora says looking down in fear then back at the bees.

"Jump! You can do it!"

Sora and Pooh look behind them to see the bees suddenly move towards them. Needing no further encouragement, they jump and plummet down through the branches. On the ground, Aqua and Terra stand together with their arms outstretched. Sora falls right into Aqua's arms and Pooh lands in Terra's.

"Are you ok?" Aqua asks worriedly.

"Yep," Sora says as she sets him down. He licks his hand again still covered in honey.

"You can't wander off like that Sora," Terra says to him sternly.

"Sorry," Sora says looking down.

Terra ruffles his hair. "It's ok. Just don't do it again."

"Ok!" Sora says with a grin.

"We should go back before Master Eraqus worries," Aqua says and Terra nods.

"C'mon Sora," Terra says holding his hand out to Sora.

"Goodbye Sora," Pooh says giving Sora a wave.

"Bye Pooh," Sora says waving as he walks off with Terra and Aqua. As they walk away from the Hunny Tree, a bright light envelops them and when it fades they are standing in Merlin's house again looking at a surprised Master Eraqus, Merlin, and Riku.

"Fascinating!" Melin cries moving to inspect the book again. "A world contained within a book."

"Sora what is all over your arm?" Master Eraqus asks.

"Honey," Sora says holding his arm out to show him. "It's yummy in my tummy."

Sighing, Master Eraqus gets some paper towels and proceeds to clean off the sticky mess. "It is time for us to return home," he says when he finishes. "We'll be back soon Merlin."

"Have a safe trip," Merlin says as they wave goodbye and exit his house.

…

"And this is the third district," Zack says as he leads Ven down the steps and into the empty square. Ven walks across the square slowly looking all around.

"And who lives here?" he asks.

"Leon lives up there," Zack says pointing back up the way they had come. "And Merlin lives down there."

Ven looks down the way Zack is pointing and sees a big red door. "I bet that's where the others went," he says staring to walk down that way.

Zack catches up with him and grabs his hand to pull him to a stop. "We can go in there or we can stay out here and find something else to do," Zack says giving Ven a quick kiss.

Ven grins and gives him a kiss back. "I think I rather stay out here," he says leaning against the nearest wall. Zack moves closer putting one hand on the wall next to Ven's head. He leans in to kiss him when the red door opens and they both look over surprised. The keyblade wielders and Sora file out of Merlin's house and Zack stands up straight letting his hand fall.

"Ventus, it is time to go," Master Eraqus says as they walk past. "Say goodbye and meet us back in the first district."

He leads the others towards the doors to the first district and as Terra walks past he gives Ven a knowing smile. As they watch them walk out the doors, Ven asks Zack, "So do you want to go out sometime?"

Zack turns to him and smiles. "Definitely," he says. "I'll always be here so come by anytime." He kisses Ven goodbye. "I'll be waiting."

Ven gives him one more peck on the lips and a hug before running out the door. Back in the first district, the others are standing around waiting and Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus stare at him smiling as he closes the door to the third district. Blushing and trying to ignore them, Ven walks over to where Sora and Riku are standing. "Hi Ven," Sora says greeting him. "What does K-I-S-S-I-N-G spell?"

"Uh kissing," Ven says confused by the question.

"Kissing! It spells kissing!" Sora says triumphantly rounding on Riku.

"I already knew that," Riku says smugly.

"Riku and Marlene sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Sora sings right in Riku's face.

Ven joins Sora in laughing at Riku's embarrassed expression. His smile fades though as Terra begins to sing. "Ven and Zack sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-"

He doesn't have a chance to finish as he is too busy fending off Ven's punches. Master Eraqus sighs and rubs his temple. He looks at Aqua standing beside him with an amused expression. "Please tell me at least you are too old for this," he says slightly desperately.

She laughs and walks over to Ven and Terra. She wraps her arms around Ven from behind keeping him from punching Terra again. "You have to tell us everything Ven," she says and he groans trying to pull away.

"But Aqua-"

"No buts, I want to hear everything when we get back," Aqua replies before releasing him. Master Eraqus catches their attention by clearing his throat. He summons a light corridor again and they all follow him through.

* * *

**MLSoT: I didn't want you to have a fangirl attack so I updated! You're welcome.**

**Mexi: I have to let Ven be happy for at least a little while so Vanitas has to stay away for now. **

**That was a fun, happy, and fluffy chapter, so that means next chapter has to be darker. It is time to introduce Keric and see what he's doing. (FYI he isn't doing nice things) **


	24. Long Live the King

Chapter 24 _Long Live the King  
_

Braig smirks to himself as he walks down yet another deserted corridor. He had spent the day staking out the castle in Whin and his patience had paid off. He had timed his movements perfectly and entered the castle during the switching of the guards. He had snuck past them without a single glance in his direction and now he is inside the mostly deserted castle. Most of the servants had been sent home and the inhabitants had long since retired to their private quarters. It seems no one is awake in the castle to see Braig creeping about.

All his surveying during the day had given him a basic understanding of the setup of the castle. He is currently on the south side of the castle where the public rooms are located. At this time of night no one is in the throne room or offices located on this side of the castle. Across the large courtyard in the middle of the castle is the north side. That side is his destination. The north side is private rooms for the royal family and somewhere over there is Prince Keric.

The corridor Braig is following opens right up into the courtyard that separates the two sides. In the dark of the night, the colorful flowers and big oak trees do nothing to liven up the depressing castle. Instead, the shadows cast by the trees adds to the gloomy atmosphere and the flowers look wilted. Not wanting to cross out in the open, Braig stays close to the trees, hurrying from one trunk to the other. If someone was awake and staring out the windows overlooking the courtyard they would see nothing more than a fleeting shadow disappearing into the night.

And someone is awake.

Braig freezes as a small yellow light blinks into existence on the north side of the courtyard. It bobs up and down slightly as it makes its way in his direction. He presses himself closer to the back of the tree and holds his breath willing whoever it is to go back to bed. Braig watches apprehensively as the light of a lantern appears around the tree. Whoever it is had chosen this tree to stop in front and Braig tries futilely to push himself even farther into the shadows. Footsteps crunching on fallen leaves halt on the other side of the tree and there is a soft thump of something falling onto the grass.

"Damn it," a voice whispers. He sounds young, only a boy. Braig relaxes knowing he could easily take one boy down if it had to come to that. The light swings wildly and there is more crunching of leaves as the boy retrieves whatever he had dropped. Braig listens carefully as he hears the rustling of papers. A book! He must have dropped a book.

The light swings around and comes to rest on a patch of weeds to the left of the tree. The boy moves away from the tree and crouches next to the weeds. Careful not to make a sound, Braig turns to see him while staying in the shadows of the tree. The boy's back is turned, but Braig can see he is dressed in expensive clothes and his dirty blond hair has been recently cut in a short style. Could this really be him?

The boy holds the lantern high so he can read from the book he has balanced on his knee. For a moment he remains as still as a statue, then he places the lantern down and pulls a pair of gloves out of his back pocket. Pulling them on, he whispers to himself, "Those idiots think it's just wild carrots."

Braig frowns. Botany had never been a strong subject for him, but the white flower heads of the weed the boy is inspecting seem familiar. He thinks hard, but can't place it. The boy reads from his book once more before taking one of the stalks in his gloved hand and examining it closely. With a nod of satisfaction, he places the book down next to the lantern and stands. With a grunt of effort, he pulls on the stalk until he rips the plant out of the ground.

While the boy wrestles the tall plant into the burlap bag he had with him, Braig moves slightly away from the tree in order to to see what the boy had been reading. There is a large picture of a plant identical to the one the boy had just harvested, and next to the picture is a name. Poisonous Hemlock.

Braig moves slightly and freezes as a twig under his foot snaps. The boy tenses up. He grabs the lantern and turns holding it high to look for the source of the noise. Braig holds his breath on the opposite side of the tree. He can hear the boy get to his feet and walk slowly in his direction. Without a sound, Briag reaches into his waistband curling his fingers around the gun he kept there. The boy is right on the other side of the tree and Braig has his gun in his hand. He decides to count down from 3 and jump out to surprise the boy.

3

2

1

The shrill shrieking of a bird on the far side of the courtyard makes Braig jump and the boy swings around to peer in that direction instead. "Fucking birds," the boy swears as he moves back over to his plant. He quickly gathers his things and hurries back into the castle the way he had come out blowing out the lantern as he does so. He runs right past Braig without noticing him in the shadows.

Braig moves like a ghost, following him to the corridor he had run down. It leads off into the north side of the castle, the royal families private rooms. The hallways here are as empty as the other side of the castle. Only Braig and the boy are up and about at this hour. Stalking the boy, Braig traces his steps through the maze of corridors and up several staricases.

As he peers around the next corner, Braig pauses seeing the boy had come to a halt as well. He had stopped next to a woman Braig recognized instantly and Braig pulls his head back before she sees him. Meleka.

"Prince Keric, where have you been? What is that?" Meleka asks. Braig begins to smile. He had been right. This boy is Keric.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Keric snaps. "Now go inform the cook to make my parents and I a pot of tea. Bring it to my room. I will deliver it myself."

"Of course sir," Meleka says at once. She hurries off in the direction opposite the corner Braig is hiding behind. Braig leans against the wall thinking over what Keric had asked for. He is starting to get an idea of what Keric is planning, and if he is right Braig knows the boy would be a valuable accomplice to Xehanort's plan.

Footsteps tell Braig Keric is on the move again, and Braig begins to stealthily follow him once more. Keric enters another hallway and hurries to the end where two red double doors stand alone. He goes through in a hurry and in his haste he doesn't realize the doors don't close completely behind him. Braig walks over and peers through the thin crack.

The room must be Keric's suite obviously decorated by someone other than the boy. All the light colors and vases of flowers must have been designed to bring a happy air to the front room, but somehow the light of the room dims with Keric standing in the middle. He drops the bag with the plant in it on the ground and sets his book on the table. He spends a moment rifling through it to find the right page and then he hurries to a desk. Opening the top drawer, he pulls out a mortar and pestle. He places them on the table next to the book and puts his gloves back on. After consulting his book once more, Keric reaches into the bag at his feet, and pulls out a small piece of stem from the plant he had harvested outside.

Placing it in the mortar, Keric picks up the pestle and grinds the stem quickly. He reaches back into the bag and pulls out one of the flowers. Adding it to the mortar and grinding it as well, Keric stands with a smirk. After taking a moment to admire his handy work, Keric begins to clean up. He carefully returns the mortar and pestle with his ground up hemlock back in the desk drawer. He closes the book and tosses it on the couch. Picking up the bag with the rest of the plant in it, he opens a coat closet and tosses it in the back, tossing his gloves in as well.

He turns back to survey the room satisfied that no one would be able to tell what he had been doing. He then looks down at himself seeing that his clothes are a little dirty from harvesting the plant. Will a final glance at the desk and a smirk, Keric moves to one of the doors leading off the front room and Braig gets a split second view of a bed inside before Keric shuts the door.

The soft jingle of china cups clinking together makes Braig jump up from his position. The sound gets closer and knowing he only has seconds before he is caught, Braig does the only thing he can do. He opens the door and hurries into Keric's suite. Leaving the red doors slightly ajar as they had been, Braig silently moves across the room and hides in the coat closet. He leaves the door cracked open so he can see as Meleka enters the front room with a tray of tea cups.

"Prince Keric?" she calls setting the tray down.

"I'm changing," Keric calls back. "Just leave it."

Meleka obeys and exits his suite. Braig stays in his hiding place as Keric comes back out of his bedroom in fresh clothes. He goes quickly to the desk and pulls out the mortar. He walks over to the tray and sprinkles his powdered hemlock in two of the three cups of tea. He takes one of the stirrers and quickly stirs the two cups until the powder dissolves without a trace.

Keric straightens up and glances over at the closet, frowning. Braig pulls away from the crack putting his hand on his gun once more. The door suddenly slams completely shut and Braig can hear Keric's muffled voice through the wood. "I gotta dump the rest of it before someone finds it."

Pressing his ear against the closet door, Braig listens as Keric's footsteps move back across the room and the china tinkles once more. Another door opens and Keric calls out, "Mom? Dad?" A muffled response is too indistinct for Briag to hear, but he does hear a door slam. Braig remains in his hiding spot straining to hear anything else. As the silence stretches on, he slowly opens the door a crack and then lets it swing fully open as he sees no one is there to see him.

He makes his way across the front room to the one door he has yet to see behind. He can hear voices on the other side. One he recognizes as Keric's, but he doesn't recognize the others, a man's and a woman's.

"Shouldn't you be in bed Keric?" The woman says. "It's late."

"I haven't seen you since you returned from Ghotri," Keric replies and Braig can hear the china tinkling.

"You should come with us next time my boy," the man says in a booming voice. "The food there is simply amazing."

"Maybe next time," Keric replies.

Braig moves away from the door frowning in frustration. He needs to be somewhere where he can see what is happening and not just hear idle chatter. A window catches his eye and he looks out. He is overlooking the courtyard below, but that isn't what catches his eye. A balcony is just visible out the corner of the window and from it's position Braig is sure there is a way out onto it somewhere nearby.

It only takes him a moment to find the door out onto it in Keric's bedroom. Closing the glass door behind him, Braig moves to the edge of the balcony and looks in the direction Keric had gone to see another balcony. Unfortunately, there is a 40 foot gap in between.

Braig grabs the railing to look down at the dizzying drop and his hand closes around something leafy. Squinting in the dark, Braig sees thick vines curling up the wall of the castle. Without pausing to let himself think about what he is doing, Braig gets a strong hand hold and pulls himself up on the wall. Slowly, but surely he inches his way through the vines and across the large gap without incident. A minute later he drops lightly onto the far balcony.

With silent footsteps, he moves to the window and peers in at an angle to see Keric seated in a chair across from a man and woman on a couch. The man looks like a strong man gone slightly to seed with age. His black hair is streaked with grey and Braig can't help but admire that the grey streaked hair somehow made him seem more dangerous. Beside him is a petite woman, with a narrow face framed by straight dirty blond hair. The woman has a striking resemblance to Keric, and the man less so. Both are holding tea cups. The window to this sitting room is cracked open and Briag can here the parting words spoken between the three inside as Keric stands to return to his room.

"Thank you for the tea Keric. It was a pleasant surprise," the woman says.

"Whatever," Keric says moodily, but he lets her give him a loving hug.

"We'll talk about the situation in slums more tomorrow, but I like your idea of inciting a gang war," the man says to Keric. "It would be just the thing to get some of those criminals off the streets."

Keric nods and begins to walk back to his own set of rooms. "Goodnight mom, dad," Keric calls back over his shoulder. Braig shakes his head in respect to Keric. Poisoning your own parents is truly a sign of pure darkness.

"I'm feeling rather tired," Keric's mother says. "Are you going to join me Rolam?"

Keric's father, whose name must be Rolam, replies, "I will Delisa. It's been a long day."

The two move through another door, and Braig moves stealthily down the balcony to the next window. This one is also cracked open to let the breeze in. Braig watches from the balcony as the king and queen prepare for bed. He can already see their movements becoming clumsy and they fall asleep a little too quickly.

A few minutes later, the bedroom door opens silently and Keric enters standing silently in the corner watching his parents sleep. Braig watches him trying to read his expression in the dark, but his attention is drawn away from the boy by the sound of labored breathing. Keric's mother, Queen Delisa, gasps in her sleep trying to breath in but finding it impossible. Soon choking noises replace her distressed gasping and then there is silence.

Nothing moves for a moment, then King Rolam begins to shake in his sleep. He gasps much like his wife, but his eyes open, nearly bulging out of their sockets. His mad eyes search the room coming to rest of Keric. "You..." King Rolam is able to gasp out before he loses his voice.

Keric just stares evenly at him. "I did what had to be done," Keric replies moving closer to his father as the king tries to get out of bed. However, his limbs are paralyzed from the hemlock and he only manages to fall from the bed. Keric makes no move to help his father, instead he stands over him with a small smile of amusement. King Rolam's face turns blue as he gapes like a fish out of water. He makes one more futile attempt to reach up to Keric, but his eyes roll back in his head and his hand falls with a thud onto the ground.

Keric remains where he is, staring down at his father whom he had killed. The smile on his face grows larger and he lets out a bark of laughter. "I'm king now," he says with glee and, still laughing slightly to himself, Keric leaves the bedroom and his parents, presumably going back to his own room for a good night's sleep.

Braig remains on the balcony until the sun rises and the castle begins to bustle with activity. "King Rolam your presence is requested in the conference room." The pompous voice comes from the king and queen's sitting room. "King Rolam?" The voice asks and the bedroom door opens as a servant enters. He jumps in shock as he takes in the king sprawled on the floor and the queen lying in bed as white as a ghost. "King Rolam! Queen Delisa!" As the servant runs in screaming and then runs back out calling for help, Braig decides he has seen enough. Taking his leave, he summons a dark corridor as Xehanort had taught him and leaves Carinol far behind.

...

Xehanort turns around to face Braig as he steps through the dark corridor and into the small cave Xehanort was living in. "Well?" Xehanort asks.

"Oh I'm fine thanks. How are you?" Braig replies with a smirk. Xehanort just glares at him until Braig rolls his eyes. "Alright, here's what I got and mind you I risked my hide to get it."

Xehanort waves off his comment without acknowledgement, "Proceed."

"Right so long story short, there is this Prince Keric guy who used to beat on that Ven kid," Braig says. "They had some kind of abusive relationship. Anyways, Keric is lookin' for Ven, he wants him really bad if you know what I mean. Oh and Keric killed him parents off last night so he seems like a pretty dark little dude."

Xehanort mulls over this for a moment stroking his goatee. "So this now King Keric wants power at any cost. Interesting." He looks over at Braig. "That is all I require of you at the moment. Return to your homeworld until I call you."

"Oh goody, I can't wait," Braig says sarcastically as he disappears once more through a dark corridor.

Xehanort mutters to himself as he paces around his one room cave. "A malicious little boy who wants Ventus and power...this Keric and I have a lot in common. He will be just the pawn I need to take from Ventus what is mine."

* * *

**SnowKawasagi: I haven't decided yet about Riku and Marlene. I might make them a couple but I might not. For now I'll just let the procrastinator in me push that decision off till later.**

**Mexi: A dark chapter as promised. Pooh Bear! I love him, but his world is so boring. That might be his only appearance in this story.**

**MLSoT: I like your idea, but I already have this whole big thing planned out for Keric and Ven. However, the scene you described is actually kinda similar to a scene I'm planning a long way off with Ven, Zack, and Vanitas. Sorry no fluff in this chapter :( Maybe some Terra and Aqua stuff next chapter, not really sure.**

**robyn little: Hmm...Maybe if it comes up and they're alone together, but I don't think so.**

**What do you think of Keric? Braig's opinion is that he is "a pretty dark little dude", but I want to hear your opinion of him. Things are going to take a turn for the worse for Ven, but not quite yet. Ven is still very much in the dark about Xehanort and his plans, but he's starting to realize ignorance isn't really bliss.**

**What happens when Ven confronts Master Eraqus about what Yen Sid said? Well you'll have to wait till next chapter to find out the answer.**


	25. Questions

Chapter 25 _Questions_

Ven raises his hand to knock on the door, but holds back for a moment. He takes a deep breath. Staying calm and not losing his temper is going to be the only way to get Master Eraqus to tell him what he wants to know. Staying calm and not losing his temper is going to be hard. With another deep breath he raps his knuckles on the door and waits. A moment later he hears Master Eraqus call from within his office. "Come in."

Ven opens the door and Master Eraqus looks up from his seat behind his desk. With a sigh he lays down the pen he had been writing with and leans back. "I've been expecting you Ventus," he says with a small smile. "Close the door and take a seat."

Ven does so and sits across the desk from Master Eraqus. He pauses to collect his thoughts, and when he opens his mouth Master Eraqus stops him with a raised hand. "I know what you are going to ask Ventus," he says in a serious voice. "I am going to ask you not to. There are things I do not think you are prepared to know."

"That's not fair," Ven says angrily. "If Master Yen Sid told you something about me I have a right to know. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," Master Eraqus replies. "That is exactly why I am not telling you certain things. I trust you to do the right thing without knowing the entire situation."

"So I'm just supposed to run around in the dark?" Ven says with a hard frown. "Why can't you just tell me? I swear I can handle whatever it is. I'm not a child you need to protect."

"Ventus, I trust you, but this trust must be mutual," Master Eraqus says. "Trust that what I'm doing is right. There is no reason for you to worry."

"I'm not a child!" Ven yells slamming his fist on the desk. "Master Yen Sid said I could bring about an evil change to the worlds. Is that true?"

"Ventus it isn't so easy to-"

"Is that true?" Ven repeats in a slow angry voice.

Master Eraqus hesitates and then admits. "Yes." Ven's face pales as he falls back into his chair running his fingers through his hair. "But he also said you can bring about a good change to the worlds and that is true as well," Master Eraqus adds quickly. "It is the same thing with every keyblade wielder throughout time. Some wielders bring chaos and ruin to worlds, and others bring peace." Ven looks down at the floor and Master Eraqus waits holding his breath.

"That is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard."

"Ventus!"

"I can't believe you would lie to me!" Ven shouts jumping out of his chair hurt and anger showing clearly on his face. "If that's what this was all about you wouldn't be keeping it a secret. Master Yen Sid wasn't saying I was just like every other keyblade wielder. He was talking about something that made me different. Something that made me dangerous. I'm going to ask you one more time. What aren't you telling me?"

Master Eraqus stares at him for a moment before lowering his head and shaking his head. "That's what I thought," Ven says in a quiet voice, disappointment in every syllable. He turns and goes to leave the room. With his hand on the doorknob, Master Eraqus stops him.

"I did not lie to you Ventus," he says quietly.

Ven yanks open the door and goes through slamming it shut behind him without a look back. His mind a mess of angry thoughts, he storms through the castle to his room, and flops down on his bed. _Doesn't Master Eraqus get it? _He thinks to himself. _Yen Sid, Eraqus, they all think I'm gonna do something bad. Well, I'm scared they're right. How can I make sure I don't do the wrong thing if he won't tell me what the wrong thing is? I'm not a child. I just want answers, answers that I deserve. But I'm not even allowed to ask questions. He just keeps telling me to be quiet and let the adults make the decisions. I'm not a child and I hate being treated like one._

…

Ven doesn't realize he has fallen asleep until he is awakened by someone poking his forehead. Groaning he rolls over, but whoever it is just starts poking him in the back of the head instead. "Fuck off Terra," Ven mumbles burying his face in his pillow.

"I'm not Terra."

Ven rolls over and opens one eye to see Sora next to his bed. He smiles seeing that he succeeded in waking Ven. "What's up Sora?" Ven asks rubbing his eyes.

"Master Eraqus wants you to come downstairs," Sora replies.

"Tell him I'm sleeping," Ven says rolling back over and closing his eyes. A shadow falls on him and he frowns. He opens his eyes and jumps nearly a foot in surprise. Riku had gotten right in his face with his fingers stretching his mouth extra wide and pulling down the lower eyelids of his eyes. Sora and Riku both start laughing at Ven's reaction, but they stop as he climbs out of bed and glares at them. "Run."

They don't need to be told twice as they sprint out of the room shrieking with laughter. He gives chase and corners them at the end of the hallway. After a quick tussle, Ven emerges as the victor with Riku thrown over his shoulder and Sora under his arm. Both struggle and complain, but he ignores them and heads downstairs. Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are standing in the sitting room and look up in surprise as they enter. Ven refuses to look at them, walking right past them to drop Riku and Sora on the couch.

"What?" Ven asks without turning to face Master Eraqus.

"One of the best ways to learn is through experience so I want you to join Terra and Aqua in exploring a world of your choosing," Master Eraqus replies in a light voice.

Ven shrugs. "Whatever." He turns and walks past Master Eraqus without looking at him again. "Let's go," he calls over his shoulder as he opens the front doors of the castle. Without waiting for the others to catch up he walks down the steps outside and summons his armor and keyblade glider. Terra and Aqua join him outside and do the same. Together they shoot off into space.

"What's wrong Ven? What did you and Master Eraqus talk about?" Aqua asks almost right away pulling her glider close to Ven's so they can talk.

"Nothing," Ven replies. "Where are we going?"

"I have a world in mind," Terra says and the other two let him take the lead. "I think it is time I collect on an old bet." Both Ven and Aqua look at him confused. "Just wait you'll see," Terra says.

…

A short time later, Terra begins to descend to a world shining with light. Ven and Aqua follow him down, and as they descend Ven just barely hears Aqua whisper to herself, "So this is what he was talking about."

The trio land on a hill overlooking a very small town shimmering with lights hanging on every building and tree. They dismiss their armor and Ven's eyes widen in shock. "What the?" He says catching sight of Terra and Aqua.

They are dressed in horribly clashing clothes of bright red and green. Terra's pants normally tan in color have changed to striped red and white like a candy cane. His normal shoes have been turned into bulky black snow boots. His t-shirt has turned green, but the straps that cross his chest remain red. He also has on a fairly warm looking coat hanging open which reaches nearly down to his knees. It is dark red and has white fur on the cuffs and the collar.

Aqua's clothes have changed drastically. She is now wearing a coat similar to Terra's in color with the same white fur, but her's is buttoned tight and only goes down to her midriff. Underneath she has on a green tight fitting shirt that is long enough to cover the top of her skirt which is checkered red and green. A loose, bulky black belt with a large gold belt buckle rests on her hips. Under her skirt, she had bright red leggings that cover her legs all the way down to her white furry snow boots.

"You never struck me as a skirt girl Aqua," Ven says trying and failing to not laugh at their horrible outfits.

"I'm not," Aqua says in a cold voice. "You can't laugh at us. Have you even looked at yourself yet?

Ven's smile fades as he looks down at himself. He has a jacket like the others; his hangs open like Terra's, but only reaches his waist. His shirt is diagonally striped red and green, and his pants are solid green. He has a black belt similar to Aqua's and his snow boots are black with red laces.

The trio stands for a moment taking in these new clothes and then start to laugh. When they are done laughing at their horrendous outfits, Ven asks, "So why are we wearing different clothes?"

"Some worlds' magic is powerful enough to change our clothes or even our form," Aqua explains.

"Yeah, it usually helps us blend in better," Terra adds.

"Blend in?" Ven says in disbelief. "We look like drunk christmas elves threw up all over us!"

"Trust me Ven," Terra says. "We look just like everyone else. This is Christmas Town after all."

Ven frowns and looks again at the town below them a big building dominated the view. Ven could just barely make out the sign above the door. "Oh no," he says with realization.

"Oh yes," Terra says smugly. He grabs Ven's arm and begins to pull him down the path towards the town. "By the way you owe me 50 munny."

…

When they reach the large building that Ven can now tell is a factory, he reads the large sign once more. _Santa's Workshop_. "C'mon," Terra says dragging Ven through the front door.

Inside the crackle of a fire and the smell of smoke greets them, and they walk down a hallway to a cozy sitting room with a merry fire crackling in the fireplace. Sitting in a high back chair that dwarfed him more than he already was is a plump man decked out all in red with a white beard long enough to reach his toes. In his hand is an immense list so long it curls up in a large pile next to his chair. Hearing them enter he looks up and a wide smile spreads across his cheerful face.

"Ho ho ho," he says putting down the list he had been inspecting. "If it isn't Terra and Aqua, my two favorite keyblade wielders. And Ventus or Ven as he likes to be called. It is nice to meet you son."

"Uh..." Ven just stares. He can't believe he is seeing what he is seeing. "You-you're Santa Claus. Like, the Santa Claus."

Santa laughs slightly holding his large belly. "Surprised I'm real?" He asks in a kind voice. "I have here that you told your friends here that Santa Claus doesn't exist."

Ven's face, which had been slowly splitting into a grin, collapses slightly and he looks guiltily from Terra to Aqua and then back to Santa. "I...er..." He puts his hands behind his head and leans back.

"Don't worry Ven," Santa says kindly. "You are still on my nice list." A shrill whistle sounds from the other side of a door marked factory and Santa gets to his feet. "If you would excuse me for a moment, one of the machines must be jammed again. Feel free to take a cookie and there is milk in the refrigerator if you want some," he says as he hurries out the door and into the factory.

Ven takes a cookie and munches on it while he examines the bright room. "I'm glad to see you in a better mood than before," Terra says and Ven stops frowning as he remembers the events of the morning.

"What happened Ven?" Aqua asks. "What did you and Master Eraqus talk about?"

"Nothing," Ven says. "Do you think you guys are on the naughty or the nice list?" He bends down to look at Santa's list.

"Don't change the subject Ven," Aqua says. "Obviously it's not 'nothing'. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

Ven doesn't reply for a moment. He straightens up and asks quietly, "Are you guys lying to me too?"

"Wh-what!" Both Terra and Aqua shout in surprise.

"What would we be lying to you about?" Terra asks confused.

Again Ven doesn't reply for a moment, but then he speaks quietly to them. "Did Master Eraqus tell you guys something about me and ask you to keep it a secret? Is there something everyone gets to know, but me?"

Terra and Aqua exchange a look with each other. They don't reply right away, but the motion is all Ven needs to know the answer. "I can't believe this," he says angrily. He looks down for a moment his hands balling into fists. When he looks up, his eyes are burning with betrayal. "How could you? I thought you were my friends."

"We are your friends," Aqua says a little hurt.

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other," Ven shoots back.

"Ven," Terra tries. "You gotta understand, this isn't a big deal."

"It isn't a big deal?" Ven shouts taking a step closer. "This is my life we're talking about and I have a right to know what is going on."

"We're just trying to protect you Ven," Aqua says and Ven loses it.

"I am not a child!" He yells at her. "I don't need you all to protect me! Just tell me the fucking truth!"

Both Terra and Aqua are speechless and stand with open mouths staring at Ven. "Screw this shit," Ven says turning away from them. "I'm outta here." With that he storms back out of the workshop ignoring Aqua's calls for him to come back.

As Aqua takes a step to follow him, Terra grabs her arm. "Let him simmer down," Terra says to her. "He'll come back."

"But Master Eraqus said we have to keep an eye on him at all times," Aqua says sadly.

"It's Christmas Town," Terra says with a small smile. "There isn't any darkness here for him to get affected by."

…

Back on the hill the trio had landed on, Ven is pacing in anger. _Terra and Aqua too._ He thinks to himself. _Am I really the only one in the dark here? What could be so bad that they don't think I can handle it? ...Maybe I can't handle it. Maybe they're right to try and protect me. But what are they protecting me from? Myself? 'A power never meant to exist.' That is what Master Yen Sid said about me, but what did he mean? What power do I have? 'You will bring a change to the worlds, but whether that change is good or evil is still a mystery even to me.' Ugh, what does it all mean?_

Ven sighs and stops pacing. He leans against a tree and looks up at the stars above. _All those worlds...am I really going to bring a change to all of them? Do I really have the power to do that?_ Lost in his thoughts, Ven hears a slight creak like a door being opened and the support of the tree on his back vanishes. With a gasp, he falls backwards into a dark hole, and the stars disappear from sight.

…

In the Hinterlands, Jack Skellington sits alone in the quiet woods. A beetle like bug crawls out of the ground in front of him and scuttles past him. Seeing his chance, Jack jumps to his feet and moves in front of the insect, crouching down to be at its level. When it pauses to peer up at him, he stretches his skeletal face into a ghoulish smile. The bug regards him for a moment, before continuing to plod on unaffected by Jack's attempts to scare it. Sighing Jack gets to his feet and crosses his long arms. "Can't even scare a beetle," he says with a sigh. "Maybe I really am just a joke."

His self pitying is interrupted by a loud scream, and Jack jumps in fright spinning around to see Ven come tumbling out of the tree in the center of the clearing. Ven lands on the pine needles and as he gets to his feet Jack lays a hand over his fast beating heart. "That scream," Jack says in wonder and Ven looks up at him in surprise. "That entrance. That face. It's perfect!" Jack jumps forward grabbing Ven's hand and shaking it hard. "Teach me! Please teach me your ways oh scary one!"

Ven stares at him in complete confusion. "What the fuck?" He says trying to take his hand back from Jack, but the skeleton grip is too strong.

"Oh I forgot," Jack says. "I'm Jack Skellington. The running joke of Halloween Town. Who are you?"

"Ven. Just Ven," he replies still nonplussed.

"Well my little vampire Ven what do you say? Will you teach me your scary ways?" Jack asks

"Vampire?" Ven says looking down at himself in surprise. His clothes have changed again and he likes these better. He has on ripped black jeans with a piece of red cloth tied around his waist as a belt. Short black boots with silver accents are on his feet and fingerless black and white gloves are on his hands. He is also wearing a blood red sleeveless shirt and a faded and ripped black cape with a high collar hangs from his neck. As Jack lets go of his hand, Ven reaches up and feels with wonder the two fangs that have replaced his teeth.

"So what exactly do you want my help with," Ven asks Jack.

Jack gets a far off look in his empty black eye sockets. "It's always been my dream to scare," he says. "To cause fear and fright. To be the bump in the night. I want to be hailed as the king of monsters and freaks, but alas my dear friend I can't even get a shriek. I am the laugh of the town, no more than a clown, and it makes me ashamed deep down. But if you were to teach me, to scare and be creepy, I could be someone to envy."

Ven is silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know much about scaring people, but if it means that much to you I'll try and help."

"This is great!" Jack says enthusiastically. "I'll be a hot shot in no time, then Sally will have to notice me!"

"Well let's get started," Ven says grinning and showing off his fangs. "Show me your best scary face."

Jack takes a moment to compose himself before leaning down with an evil grin and his hands held up like claws. Ven jumps slightly, but more out of surprise than fear. Jack straightens back up. "How was that?" He asks anxiously.

"Not bad," Ven says trying to be supportive, but Jack lowers his head sadly.

"You weren't scared," he says in a depressed voice.

"Your face was very scary," Ven says quickly. "It was just...too fast. Yeah thats it! I was too surprised to be scared. You need to build up the suspense and get people's hearts pounding before you try and really scare them. Maybe if you use a little of your theatrics to set the mood people will find you scarier."

Jack thinks for a moment, then shouts, "'That's brilliant! Put on a horror show. That will scare them out of their graves! An unforgettable, heart pounding build up to a terrifying show stopper. It's perfect! Come now, we have to go make plans." Jack links arms with Ven and leads him out of the Hinterlands chatting incessantly about his plans for his opening act.

* * *

**MLSoT: Hope I made your day again by updating :)**

**Zephyr26: Suspense is my middle name. Well actually it's not, but this is the internet so I can say anything I want. So anyways, I love making stories suspenseful and I love that you like the suspense.**

**Mexi: Keric used hemlock to poison his parents last chapter, he doesn't have any kind of dark powers yet.**

**So in case you forgot, in chapter 6 Ven refused to believe Terra and Aqua when they told him Santa was real and he ended up betting Terra 50 munny.**

**Oh Ven I'm so sorry I'm keeping you in the dark, but it makes a better story so you just gotta deal. Anybody notice that Ven swore in front of Sora and Riku back towards the beginning of this chapter? Just felt like pointing it out in case it comes back to bite him in the butt.**

**OKAY! I have a challenge for you guys that I think you will all like! Ven and Zack are going to have their first official date in a couple chapters and I need an idea for what they are going to do. If you have an idea write it in a review or PM me and I'll give you credit if I use your idea. It can be super sappy or really out of the box. The only rule is they have to stay in Traverse Town the whole time. Oh and remember this story is rated T so don't go too...y'know.**

**Ready? Set. GO!**


	26. The Pumpkin King

Chapter 26 _The Pumpkin King_

Back in Christmas Town, Terra and Aqua are sitting on a wooden bench outside Santa's workshop. It has started to snow, and Aqua is beginning to worry. "When is he going to come back Terra?" She asks leaning against him.

"I don't know," Terra replies with an arm around her. "Maybe we should go look for him. He couldn't have gotten that far."

Aqua sits up and looks around. "Which way would he have gone?" She asks.

"Well, he would have wanted to be alone, so he might have headed back to that hill," Terra guesses.

Aqua nods in agreement. "Let's start there," she says and they get up. The fresh snow crunches under their feet as they walk out of the town and back to the hill they had landed on. At the top, they stop and look around.

"There," Terra says pointing at footprints in the snow starting to be filled in by the falling snow. "It looks like he was pacing."

Aqua walks slowly over to the solitary tree, keeping her eyes on the footprints. "They stop right here," she says pointing at the base of the tree. Her eyes narrow and she looks more closely at the tree. "Terra there's something here."

As he walks over, she reaches out and pushes on the tree trunk. There is a small click and a secret door in the trunk swings open. "A door?" Terra says in surprise. "Where does it go?"

"I don't know," Aqua says peering into the dark opening and looking down at the seemingly bottomless hole. "Is this where Ven went? Why would he go off exploring without us?"

"Because he's Ven," Terra replies looking into the hole as well. "He's like a trouble magnet. Now c'mon," he says taking her hand. "Let's check it out."

"Terra, is this really a good idea?" Aqua says in protest, but Terra jumps in pulling her after him. "Terra!" She screams as they fall into the darkness.

…

"I can't do this," Jack says to Ven as they stand at the entrance to the town square. "What if they don't get scared? What if they laugh again?"

"Don't worry," Ven says supportively. "This is going knock their socks off. And I'll be there the whole time to make sure nothing goes wrong. Is everything in place?"

Jack nods. "Showtime," he says in a nervous voice.

"Break a leg," Ven says giving him a shove to send him into the crowd. Watching Jack awkwardly make his way to the center of the square, Ven can't help but feel a twinge of nerves for his new friend. Lost in his thoughts, he starts slightly as someone taps on his shoulder. "What- Ah!" Ven shouts as he turns to find himself face to face with a zombie.

"Brains!" The zombie yells in Ven's face causing him to stumble back in fright. The zombie then starts laughing at him so hard he has to hold onto the nearest wall to keep himself upright.

"T-Terra," Ven says in surprise and then in anger, "What the fuck was that for!"

"For that look on your face," Terra gasps out still laughing. Glaring at Terra, Ven takes in the costume he is wearing. His skin is tinged a grey green color and fake blood is dripping from fake bite and scratch marks that cover his arms and face. He has on a plaid shirt hanging open over a grey undershirt and tan pants. All his clothes are faded and dirty, ripped up so much it is surprising they don't just fall off. Terra's hair is matted with dirt, and his feet are bare.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Aqua asks curiously coming up to Ven as well. She is obviously a witch with a pointed black and purple hat on her head. Her top is a dark purple corset with white ribbon ties. She is wearing a high low skirt made of shredded black netting and purple velvet. In this outfit, her leggings are a shimmering black and her black boots come up to just below her knees.

"Oh that's Jack," Ven says turning back to look into the square to see that Jack is almost in position. "I'm helping him scare the crap out of this town."

"You're what?" Aqua asks giving him a look which he ignores.

"I don't have time to explain, just watch," Ven says craning his neck to see Jack is now next to the fountain. He gives Ven and thumbs up which Ven returns. "Oh and don't interfere," Ven says quickly to them before hurrying away into the crowded square.

"Gather round monsters and ghouls. Gather round," Jack shouts loudly catching the attention of the crowd. "Prepare for a fright you'll never forget."

As Ven moves through the crowd to be closer to the front, he hears the townspeople talking to each other.

"What is he doing?" A small and hairy boy asks.

"Who is that?" A large hunched over man with half his face missing asks.

"Aw it's just Jack. He can't even scare his way out of a paper bag." A short witch with a very large wart on her nose says.

"A chance good people," Jack says gesturing around to them all. "A moment of your time. For you see, I have a tale to make your hair stand on end."

"Let's hear it," Ven shouts from the crowd and some of the townspeople nod moving closer to hear Jack's story.

"Listen close and listen good," Jack says adopting a fierce look on his skeletal face. "What I tell you is true, every word of it. Some may scoff and some may scorn, but I swear on my undead mother's grave that if you do not heed my words you will find yourself at the mercy of the most terrifying monster to walk this land."

As Jack talks Ven is on the move and now in the back of the crowd he calls, "What monster?" He ducks his head again a moves to his right coming to a new spot behind a group of short witches.

"His name is," Jack says rising up to his full height and taking a dramatic pause. "Oogie Boogie. That's one. Speak his name three times and he will appear out of the night time fog to take you back to his lair."

The witches in front of him gasp and Ven calls over their heads, "But what is he?"

"What is Oogie Boogie?" Jack shouts dramatically. 'He is devious, cunning, unfeeling. He is sly, scary, sneaky. His presence attracts the creepiest and crawliest of creatures. He comes in on a sea of bugs and leaves no trace except piles of crushed beetles. Silent in his coming and going, none have ever lived to see his face, said to be terrifying enough to scare a witch to death."

"Oh my!"

"Oh dear!"

The entire square is standing in front of Jack listening attentively and holding their breath.

"So lock your doors and stay inside when the fog rolls in like tonight lest Oogie Boogie comes to take you away into the night," Jack says leering at them.

"You said his name three times!" A little zombie girl shouts from the front of the crowd taking a step forward to point accusingly at Jack.

"No no. I most certainly did not," Jack says waving her off. "I would never make such a horrible mistake."

"You did! You did!" The girl shouts back.

Jack's scary smile collapses into a fearful frown. "No...No! Oh goodness! I did! He's coming for me! He's-" Jack suddenly stops mid sentence and looks out over the crowd with a look of terror.

The crowd all spin around to look in the same direction, but there is nothing there. When they look back at the fountain Jack is no longer there, and panic begins to set in.

"He's gone!" A skeleton shouts.

"Oogie Boogie has him!" A banshee shrieks.

"Don't say his name!" A headless man says somehow to her, and Ven stares at him wondering how that is possible. "He'll come after you next!"

Ven listens to the crowd becoming more and more terrified. He keeps his eyes trained on the sky waiting for the next stage to begin. He is only looking for a few moments before he sees it. "What's that?" Ven shouts pointing towards a white object falling out of the sky.

The crowd looks up as the object falls to the ground in front of them where Jack used to be standing. It bounces slightly, and they watch in silence as it rolls to the feet of the townspeople at the very front of the crowd who are the first to scream when they see what it is.

Jack's head stares up at them with a look of pure terror in his dead eye sockets, and the townspeople turn and try to run away from the horrible sight. The mob tries to head for the exit out of the square, but before the first monsters can get out, the gate comes crashing down trapping them inside. Screams of fear erupt from the crowd as they shake the bars of the gate trying to get out.

Ven stands slightly apart from the crowd with his eyes on the fountain not the gate. The water in the fountain turns a slightly brighter green, and Ven takes his cue shouting, "Do you hear that?"

The crowd is too loud however and no one hears him. Ven takes a deep breath and tries again. "Hey!" He shouts louder than before and succeeds in getting almost everyone's attention. "Do you hear that?"

As quiet descends on the crowd of townspeople, a soft, sinister laugh reaches them. It get's louder and louder until they can tell it is coming from the fountain in the center of the square. A few of the braver townspeople hesitantly step forward only to leap back in shock as bugs of all different colors and shapes begin to spew out of the well and flood into the square.

"He's coming!" People shriek pressing themselves against the walls, getting as far away from the fountain as possible as a shadow looms bigger and bigger from its depths. A black figure suddenly jumps out of the fountain.

"Boo!" It shouts and all the townspeople scream in fright.

Jack Skellington stands tall and proud next to the fountain with a huge grin on his face which is still attached to his body. As the townspeople begin to realize that it is only Jack they let out a collective sigh of relief. Jack takes a bow as a short man with a face on both the front and back of his head waddles forward. "Jack! You scared us all to death!" He cries as Jack reaches down to pick up 'his head' which now looking closer all the people can see it is just a painted pumpkin. "That was the best scare I've seen in years!" The two faced man continues. "Well done!"

The whole square breaks into applause and Jack stands in the middle soaking it all in with the biggest grin on his face. "Thank you, thank you," Jack says as the applause dies down. "It was an honor to scare you all today. I'd just like to give a round of applause to my assistant Ven who helped make sure you all got riled up."

The townspeople begin to clap and look around for Ven, but Ven backs up blushing trying to disappear into the crowd behind him. However, someone pushes him forward, probably Terra, and he stumbles into the center of attention next to Jack. With his face now bright red to match his shirt, Ven tries to get away, but Jack prevents that by throwing an arm around him.

As the applause dies down, the two faced man begins to talk again. "As mayor of Halloween Town, I would like to name you as the scariest, most terrifying monster in town. If no one objects..." The mayor waits, but no one objects. "Then, Jack Skellington, you will be hereby known as The Pumpkin King!"

The square erupts once more in cheering, and Jack's mouth drops opens in shock. The crowd rushes forward, and Ven is forced away from Jack by the many hands reaching out to shake Jack's. Now outside the circle of adoring fans, Ven looks around and catches sight of Aqua and Terra standing near the gate. He gives them a 'one moment' gesture before diving back into the mob around Jack.

Shoving his way back to the center, he makes his way to Jack. "Jack! Jack!" Ven shouts and Jack turns to him with a huge grin.

Jack grabs his hand shaking it vigorously. "Thank you Ven! Thank you so much! I can't ever make this up to you!"

"Don't worry about it," Ven replies. "It was a lot of fun, but I gotta go Jack. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye Ven! Come back and visit!" Jack calls, and with a final wave Ven pushes his way back out of the adoring crowd. He walks over to Terra and Aqua with a grin, but then he remembers what had happened in Christmas Town. His face hardens as he brushes past them without a word.

"Ven wait up!" Aqua calls after him, but he doesn't slow down. Hearing them break into a run after him, he begins to sprint down an unfamiliar path. He runs through the trees not caring where he is going, just trying to get anyway from them and his feeling of anger and betrayal. It isn't working.

Knowing he can't run away forever, he slows to a stop at the base of a strange hill that curls at the top. Breathing hard, he looks back to see Terra and Aqua nowhere in sight; he must have lost them in the dark woods. He makes a move to go back and look for them, but before he can nearly fifty heartless appear around him. He gasps in shock and summons his keyblade. He quickly observes his enemies to see what he is up against noting their names and moves from Master Eraqus' lessons.

Hovering around are about 10 Search Ghosts each with crooked smile and a loose eyeball. Ven knows he has to watch his back around them because of their ability to disappear and reappear at will. Intermixed with the Ghosts are about fifteen Gargoyles flapping around with their sharp talons ready to claw at him. From the ground he is faced with even more heartless; there are over twenty Wight Knights each with their arms stretched out towards him.

Ven swallows hard trying not to let the heartless see his fear, but they seem to sense it as they advance slowly and menacingly. With no escape route, Ven steels himself to fight his way out, and with a determined warcry he throws himself at the nearest Knight taking it out in two strikes of his keyblade. Its comrades whistle eerily as they jump forward landing on their spindly legs. As a group, they scratch at him with their sharp hands, and Ven quickly ducks behind a block to avoid getting cut.

A slight sound behind him makes him turn, but before he can attack, the Search Ghost that had appeared behind him lands a solid punch sending Ven stumbling back into the mob of Knights. Before he can regain his balance, they jump on him knocking him to the ground. For an instance, Ven's mind flashes back to a day that now felt like a lifetime ago. He remembers the heartless piled on top of him, ripping him to shreds in Carinol on the day he had met Terra and Aqua for the first time. It is the same thing that is happening now with the Wright Knights, but Ven has grown stronger since that day that changed his life. Stabbing up at the heartless, Ven kills enough of them to make enough room for him to get to his feet.

Ignoring the minor cuts he had sustained, he wastes no time in cutting through five more Knights with 3 successive combos. He is about to attack another when three yellow orbs appear in front of him and three Search Ghosts jump out at him. He avoids them by taking several steps back. Looking over his shoulder, Ven sees that he is back at the base of the curly hill. Still outnumbered, Ven needs every advantage he can get, so he turns and runs halfway up the incline. Now on the high ground, Ven drops into a ready position as he faces the heartless once more.

He has taken out over half of the Wright Knights, but he has not killed any of the Search Ghosts or Gargoyles. He had forgotten the Gargoyles until one attempted to dive bomb him. Having only saved his neck by luck and quick reflexes, Ven mentally curses himself for not paying enough attention as he whirls around to face the Gargoyles. They flap in the air just out of reach leaving Ven unable to attack. Not wanting to let the heartless make the first move, Ven throws his keyblade at the nearest one, knocking it out of the air. It slams into the ground and disappears on impact. As his keyblade returns to his hand, Ven hears a shout.

"Ven!"

Looking quickly in the direction of Aqua's voice, Ven sees her and Terra run out of the woods and clash with the Wright Knights and Search Ghosts at the base of the hill. Sighing with relief, Ven gives the remaining Gargoyles death glares. After a moment, they dive at him all together and fly in circles around him forcing him to keep moving to avoid their claws. Whipping his keyblade back and forth as they fly past him, Ven takes down the Gargoyles one by one until only two remain. However, for every heartless he kills, the remaining Gargoyles force him back a step. Now at the very top of the hill, Ven still has the two strongest Gargoyles left to take out. They are both hovering out of reach, but as one they dive down at Ven forcing him to take yet another step back. He is now standing on the very thin and rounded coil of the curly top. It is all he can do to stay balanced as the two heartless swoop around and fly back at him.

"Fire!" Ven cries and the fireball shot from his keyblade kills one of the Gargoyles, but the other streaks towards him from the right. At the last moment, Ven is able to swing his keyblade in a horizontal slice that stops the Gargoyle for good. However, the momentum of his swing knocks Ven off balance, and he lets his keyblade disappear as he windmills his arms, fighting for balance.

"Wha-ah-oh-ah!" Ven cries as his feet lose their grip on the small foothold, but before he can fall off the steep side of the hill, a hand grabs him by the back of his shirt, and yanks him back to safety. He is forced to spin around and finds himself face to face with an angry zombie Terra.

"Don't wander off alone Ven," Terra growls, and Ven shrinks away nodding quickly. The zombie look makes Terra quite scary. Seeing that he had frightened Ven, Terra closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm down. Opening his eyes, he places his hand on Ven's shoulder and says, "Cura."

The small cuts Ven had gotten from the Wright Knights heal in the soft green light, and Ven follows Terra in silence down the the hill to where Aqua is standing at the base. She looks ready to explode in a lecture about exactly how dangerous it is for Ven to run off like that, but Terra stops her with a look and a small shake of his head.

Both Terra and Aqua stand together staring at Ven and waiting for an explanation, but Ven just shifts awkwardly under their gaze before finally blurting out, "Can we just go home?"

"Nope," Aqua replies right away. "Not until you tell us what has got you so upset."

"I'm not upset," Ven mumbles crossing his arms and turning away from her.

"Oh?" Terra says sarcastically. "Then what do you call running away from us in Christmas Town and Halloween Town?" Ven doesn't respond and just frowns harder. "Look Ven, if you have a problem say it. Don't hold back. Just tell us what's going on."

"I just want some answers," Ven replies with a sigh.

Aqua and Terra look at eachother a little confused. "Alright," Aqua says. "What do you want to know?"

Ven doesn't respond right away. Instead, he moves to the edge of the woods beckoning the others to follow. He sits against one of the trees, and Terra and Aqua sit facing him. With his elbow resting on one knee drawn to his chest and his head in his hand, Ven asks, "What are you all so worried about me doing?"

"What do you mean?" Terra asks slowly.

"I mean, before Master Eraqus sent us away, Master Yen Sid was talking about something important, something that had to do with me, and now Master Eraqus won't tell me anything," Ven says. "All I know is there is something I'm not being told, and I am sick of being treated like a child. You guys and Master Eraqus are keeping something from me and I want to know what it is. I can handle whatever it is I swear."

Terra and Aqua exchange a long glance before Aqua replies, "Alright, we'll tell you what we know. No more secrets okay Ven?"

Ven nods quickly and leans forward in anticipation. "I guess you remember Master Yen Sid talking about you bringing a change to the worlds," Terra says. "Well, Master Eraqus told Aqua and I that it really is impossible to know if it will be a good change or a bad change. Basically, from what I understand, like Master Yen Sid said, your heart is half light and half dark. You can go either way. If you lean towards the light side the change will be good, but if you lean towards the dark side...well..." Terra trails off letting the rest go unsaid.

"All Master Eraqus told us was that we have to keep you safe from darkness," Aqua says picking up where Terra stopped. "We don't know anything more than that. If there are more secrets Master Eraqus has, we don't know them either."

"See, we really weren't lying to you Ven," Terra says. "We just wanted to keep you safe."

"I'm not a child," Ven says tiredly.

"We know," Aqua replies gently. "But you are our friend, more like a brother, so we will always do everything to protect you."

Ven doesn't reply for a moment, thinking hard about what she had said, then he says, "Just no more secrets okay?"

"No more secrets," Aqua says in agreement and Terra nods. Ven smiles and gets to his feet, and Terra and Aqua do the same. Before Ven can react, Aqua pulls him into a tight hug.

"Aqua," Ven complains trying and failing to pull away.

"You scared me when you were fighting all those heartless alone," Aqua admits hugging him even tighter. "And if you ever do that to me again I'll lock you in your room for the rest of your life." Ven stops struggling to look at her in surprise. "But only 'cause I care!"

Aqua lets Ven go and he takes a step back saying, "Can we go home now?"

The others nod and together they summon their armor and keyblades. Moments later they are flying away from Halloween Town at top speed eager to get home.

…

"We're back!" Aqua calls out as they walk into MEKA. Sora and Riku come running to the front door to greet them.

"Guess what! Guess what!" Sora says tugging on Ven's arm in excitement.

"What?" Terra asks.

"Master Eraqus took us shopping and we got lots of cool stuff!" Riku says dragging Terra and Aqua to the sitting room with Ven and Sora close behind. The room looks like it had been hit by a toy filled tornado. Plastic trucks and cars lay flipped over or on their sides are all over the floor. A box of Legos and half built houses are in one corner and in another a mini basketball hoop leans against the wall. Sora and Riku run straight for the cars on the floor and send them crashing into each other while making explosion noises.

Ven and Terra stand stunned in the doorway, but Aqua moves to the coffee table that has been buried under construction paper and crayons. "Did you guys draw all of these?" Aqua asks Sora and Riku who nod. "They're great," Aqua says holding up one to show Terra and Ven. It is a crudely drawn image of a firetruck.

Ven sits down with Sora and Riku as Master Eraqus enters. He smiles warmly taking in the scene. "I'm glad you're back," he says. "And don't think I left you three out because you are older. There are gifts waiting upstairs for you as well."

"Thank you." Both Terra and Aqua respond, but Ven says nothing and continues to nudge Sora with his toy car.

"Stop it Ven," Sora says pouting, but Ven continues poking him with the toy. "Fuck off Ven!"

That gets Ven to stop. He stares at Sora in utter shock and hears the others gasp. "Sora," Master Eraqus says in a cold voice. "Where did you learn that word?"

"That's what Ven said when I was poking him to get him to wake up," Sora says innocently, and Ven facepalms.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus begins in a dangerous voice, but Ven jumps to his feet.

"Well I'm exhausted," Ven says quickly. "See you all in the morning." He then runs out of the room ignoring the looks Aqua and Master Eraqus are both giving him. He takes the stairs two at a time and soon he is alone in his room. Unable to hold back any longer, he bursts out laughing. "Oh Sora," he says to himself. "What are we going to do with you?"

Still chuckling, Ven begins to walk to the bathroom to take a shower, but stops seeing a pile of books stacked neatly on his bed. His smile fades as he walks over. He picks them up and reads the titles. _Eragon. The Warrior Heir. The Ranger's Apprentice. The Lightning Theif._ Disgusted, he gathers them all in his arms and walks back out of his room, heading for Master Eraqus' office.

Under different circumstances, he would have been happy to have stories to read, but he knows what Master Eraqus is trying to do. It would take more than gifts for Ven to forgive Master Eraqus. The books are just a distraction to trick Ven into forgetting the problem at hand, and Ven is not so quick to surrender. Dumping the books on Master Eraqus' desk in a messy manner, Ven stalks back to his room hoping Master Eraqus gets his message; Master Eraqus is going to have to do better than that to win back Ven's trust and his love.

* * *

**Oops, Ven should be more careful about what he says around Sora since Sora repeats anything he says. And Ven is still mad at Master Eraqus. He'll have to do something huge to redeem himself in Ven's eyes.**

**And now you know how Jack became the Pumpkin King :) **

**Mexi: I'm attempting to draw the outfits both for Christmas Town and Halloween Town. I'm not a very good artist, but if they come out any good I'll post them on deviantart.**

**MLSoT: Zactus lol! I love it! **

**Soooo it took me longer than usual to get this chapter out. I'm sorry! But in my defense this chapter was super long. **

**Next chapter is going to have it all. Xehanort, Keric, Aqua and Terra, and Ven and Zack!**

**Ven and Zack's part is going to be their date, but I still haven't decided what they are going to do. Right now I'm leaning towards scary movie so they can cuddle XD but I'm still open to suggestions. **


	27. An Alliance

Chapter 27 _An Alliance_

"Good morning Ventus," Master Eraqus says in greeting the next morning as Ven enters the kitchen. Ven merely grunts in response and goes to the fridge to get some juice. He is the last one up, and the rest of the apprentices are already seated around the table with Master Eraqus. Aqua and Terra watch the exchange between Ven and Master Eraqus anxiously, seeing that Ven is still angry at their teacher. Sora and Riku are ignoring everyone as they color furiously with the art supplies Master Eraqus had bought for them the other day.

Ven pours himself a glass of orange juice and walks to the table, glaring at Master Eraqus as he does so. "I'm going to Traverse Town today," Ven announces as he sits down.

"To see Zack?" Aqua asks and Ven nods.

"I'll take you there," Master Eraqus says.

"I'm fine by myself thanks," Ven replies rudely.

"You are not going by yourself," Master Eraqus says in a stern voice.

Ven grumbles under his breath, but doesn't press the issue. Aqua speaks up to change the topic. "Thank you Master Eraqus for the books," she says.

"Yeah, thanks," Terra says and both he and Aqua look to Ven for him to add his thanks as well. Ven, however, returns to glaring at Master Eraqus with renewed intensity. An uncomfortable silence falls on the breakfast table.

"Well, if we are going to Traverse Town we should leave now," Master Eraqus says briskly as he rises from the table. Ven gets to his feet as well without a word, and walks out of the kitchen. "Watch them," Master Eraqus says to Terra and Aqua pointing to Sora and Riku. His two older apprentices nod, and Aqua asks hesitantly,

"Master Eraqus, Ven is very upset. Wouldn't it be best to tell him-"

"I'm guessing you already told him that I asked you two to keep him safe from darkness," Master Eraqus says shrewdly. "It is alright, I'm not surprised."

"But," Terra says quietly. "There is more isn't there? What are you so afraid of him doing?"

Master Eraqus doesn't reply as he moves to the door out of the kitchen. In the doorway he pauses and looks back. "Knowledge can be a burden, and this is one burden none of you should have to carry." With that, he exits the kitchen and hurries outside to find Ven waiting for him at the bottom of the steps. Ven doesn't look at him, but as he comes up beside him, Ven summons his armor and keyblade. Master Eraqus does the same, and they turn their keyblades into gliders. Still in silence, the rise up away from the Land of Departure, and speed off in the direction of Traverse Town.

…

The square of the first district is a buzz of activity when Ven and Master Eraqus enter through the heavy double doors. People are milling around laughing and shopping in pairs or groups. "I didn't know so many people lived here," Ven says in surprise. "There wasn't hardly anyone out last time we were here."

"Merlin explained to me that most people stay indoors most of the time because they are afraid of the heartless," Master Eraqus replies. "I wonder why they thought it was safe enough to come out today?"

Ven shugs in response and, almost as if he had suddenly remembered he is supposed to be angry, shoots Master Eraqus a look. Master Eraqus sighs. "You may go off alone now," he says. "I will be at Merlin's when you are ready to return home. And Ventus," Master Eraqus says before Ven can run off. "Do not leave this world alone. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Ven says putting as much of his anger into the single syllable as possible.

Master Eraqus pretends not to notice. "Good. Have fun." With that, Master Eraqus walks towards the third district as Ven walks in the other direction to the 7th Heaven. He opens the door and steps inside letting it shut behind him. He looks around seeing many strange faces, but he spots two familiar ones at the bar.

As he makes his way across the room, Tifa catches sight of him and waves. Yuffie looks over as well and gets a big smile on her face. "Hiya Ven!" Yuffie exclaims. "You here to see your boy toy?"

"Uhh," Ven says unable to come up with an intelligent response to that. Instead he turns to Tifa who rolls her eyes at Yuffie before smiling kindly at him. "Is Zack here?"

"He's out with Cloud and Leon right now, but the shift is about to change," Tifa tells him. "Right Yuffie?" She says pointedly.

"Oh right, sure is!" Yuffie exclaims jumping to her feet. "I'll let your Zackypoo know you're waiting for him." Ven blushes slightly as Yuffie giggles and runs out of the bar.

As the redness fades from his cheeks, Ven takes Yuffie's vacated barstool. Tifa walks to one of the tables with a tray of drinks, and when she comes back Ven asks her, "So why is everyone in the town out and about today? Don't they usually stay indoors?"

"They do," Tifa replies. "But no heartless have been spotted in the first district in the last two weeks, so most feel it is safe enough to walk around in this part of town." Tifa places a glass of lemonade in front of Ven on the bar before leaving to tend to her customers. Ven sits sipping his drink alone until Zack slides onto the stool next to him.

"Hey Ven," he says with a smile.

"Hi Zack," Ven says putting down his glass. "I guess Yuffie gave you the message."

"Yeah, her exact words were 'Your blondie is at the bar waiting for his boy toy'."

Ven laughs slightly and asks, "So what do you want to do?"

"Well," Zack says. "Everyone and their mother is outside today, so maybe we should just hang here. I have some movies in my room if you want to watch one."

"Sounds great," Ven says right away giving Zack a grin and receiving one in return.

"Alright, this way," Zack says leading Ven to a door off the bar. "My bedroom is the basement." He opens the door and leads Ven down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is a short hallway with two doors leading off it. As Ven follows Zack, Zack points to each door in turn. "Bathroom. Closet." The end of the hallway opens into one large open room. Against the far wall is Zack's bed, unmade and with clothes scattered all around it. "Sorry 'bout the mess," Zack says picking up some of the clothes and tossing them in a corner.

"I don't mind," Ven says as he continues to look around the room. On the right side of the room, is a desk, bookshelf, and dresser. Ven wanders over looking at the titles on the bookshelf. Zack seems to like adventure stories like him. Next to the bookshelf, Zack's desk is a mess of paper. It looks like notes on heartless sightings around town accompanied by doodles of different kinds of heartless and notes on their abilities.

The only thing on the dresser is a strange talisman. It's a glass oval painted to look like an eye on a black cord. Ven stares at it curiously for a moment before Zack catches his attention. "What kind of movie do you want to watch?" Zack asks from across the room.

Ven walks to the other side of the room where there is a small couch and a TV. Zack is going through a box of DVDs and Ven crouches next to him. "I dunno," Ven says scanning his eyes over the titles. "I haven't seen a movie in months."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we don't have a TV at MEKA," Ven explains. "Master Eraqus is pretty old fashioned. Last time I watched a movie I was on Carinol with-" Ven stops himself. He isn't going to think about him. Not on his date with Zack.

"So Carinol is your homeworld?" Zack asks not seeming to notice what Ven is thinking.

"Uh, yeah," Ven says then in an attempt to change the subject, "How 'bout a horror movie?"

"Pick whatever you like," Zack says standing. "I'll make us some popcorn."

Zack runs back upstairs, leaving Ven to continue going through the box. Zack had them organized by genre and Ven soon finds the horror movies. _Final Destination. Arachnophobia. Jaws. Killer Klowns from Outer Space. _He continues to flip through the DVDs until one catches his eye. _Casper the Unfriendly Ghost._ He pulls it out and stares at it confused.

Zack comes back down with a big plastic bowl in his hands, and he brings with him the unmistakable smell of fresh popcorn. "Is this really a horror movie?" Ven asks him holding up the DVD.

"You bet it is!" Zack says with a grin. "It's great. Is that what you want to watch?"

"Sure," Ven says and Zack takes it from his hand and gives him the bowl of popcorn. Ven plops down on the couch while Zack messes with the DVD player. It's starts to play and Zack jumps to his feet. He walks over to a light switch and flicks it making the basement pitch black except for the glow of the TV screen. Zack sits on the couch beside Ven and they both settle back with the popcorn. As the opening credits roll, Zack puts his arm around Ven's shoulders and Ven leans comfortably against him.

"You can hold my hand if you get scared," Zack says with a smirk.

Ven scoffs, "I'm not going to be scared. I've fought heartless my whole life. No little ghost boy is going to scare me."

"Alright," Zack says still smirking. "I'll keep that in mind."

...

"I'm bored," Sora complains to Riku as they sit on the steps outside MEKA.

"Me too," Riku replies.

"You know what we should do?" Sora asks as he jumps to his feet.

"What?" Riku asks curiously, getting to his feet as well.

"We should go see Mr. Nort again," Sora says with a grin.

"Yeah," Riku says getting to his feet as well and beginning to walk down the stairs with Sora. "Maybe Mr. Nort will play a game with us."

"Let's go!" Sora shouts, and he and Riku run off in the direction of the mountain path. However, they are soon stopped by Aqua's voice.

"Riku! Sora! Where are you going?"

They both stop and look over their shoulders to see Terra and Aqua hurrying down the steps to them. "We're going to see our friend," Sora replies with a grin.

"Sora!" Riku exclaims. "That's supposed to be a secret."

"Oops," Sora says biting his lip.

"Who's your friend?" Terra asks.

"Nobody," Riku says in response and Terra rolls his eyes.

"You have to tell us where you are going or you won't be allowed to go," Terra says sternly.

Sora and RIku exchange a look and after a moment Riku says, "We're going to see Mr. Nort. He's bald. He lives up there." Riku points at the mountain looming over them. Terra and Aqua look at the mountain then back at the two boys with confused expressions

"Guys," Terra says slowly. "Nobody lives here but us."

"No! Mr. Nort lives in the caves up there!" Sora shouts back crossing his arms and pouting.

"Yeah! We saw him," Riku adds. Terra shakes his head and turns to look at Aqua who decides to try and help him out.

"Sora, Riku." They turn to her both of them now pouting because they aren't being taken seriously. Aqua crouches down in front of them. "I know sometimes it's sad that no ones lives here except us, but that's how it's supposed to be. There is no one named Nort here. Did you guys make him up to have someone to play with?"

"He's real!" Sora shouts.

"C'mon, we'll show you," Riku says running off before Terra and Aqua can protest.

"Yeah!" Sora says nodding his head with a huge smile. "Wait up! Riku!" He chases after Riku who has put a good bit of distance between himself and the others. Aqua exchanges a look with Terra and he shrugs his shoulders knowing they have no other choice but to follow the young boys. They easily catch up to Sora, but Riku has moved too far ahead and is out of sight. Sora stops and looks up at them as they catch up. He pouts, "Its not fair. Riku is too fast."

Terra ruffles Sora's spiky hair and then reaches down to Sora. "C'mon," he says with a half smile knowing this is what Sora wanted. Sora's pout disappears into a grin as he leaps up into Terra's outstretched arms. Terra lifts him, groaning as he pretends to struggle to lift the small boy. "Have you been growing Sora?" He asks with a smile.

Sora pulls away slightly and nods happily. "Yep! One day I'll be big like you," he says.

Laughing slightly, Terra and Aqua continue to follow the path that Riku had disappeared down. With directions from Sora, they are able to find the path up the mountain. When they reach the flat plateau, Sora fidgets in Terra's arms and Terra sets him down. Sora runs to a dark crack in the mountain side motioning for them to follow. "He lives in here," Sora says before disappearing into the cave.

Terra and Aqua exchange a skeptical glance, and move slowly to follow Sora. "Ladies first," Terra says standing to the side of the opening. Aqua gives him a kiss on the cheek and a playful shove before entering the cave. A few steps in, the cave opens up into a small circular cavern. A completely empty cavern.

The only light comes from outside through the opening, and it is just enough for Aqua and Terra to see Sora and Riku in the middle of the room, looking around confused. "Where'd he go?" Sora asks frowning.

"I dunno," Riku replies. "All the stuff is gone too."

"Sorry guys," Terra says. "No caveman in here."

"Let's go back outside," Aqua says. "This cave is creepy."

She and Terra turn and walk back out of the cave, and Sora and Riku reluctantly follow. Before they leave, they glance back around the empty cave one last time with confused and disappointed expressions. Mr. Nort is gone, and there is no trace that he had ever been there.

...

"Stop right there!"

Xehanort frowns at the meaty hand held out an inch from his chest stopping his progress. The hand belongs to one of the guards outside the throne room he is trying to enter. Xehanort's hand clenches into a fist. How he longs to summon his keyblade and stab it through the ignorant man. A ghost of a smile brushes his lips as he envisions the guard's surprised face when he would look down to find the large keyblade sticking out of his chest. The blood would pour when Xehanort removed the keyblade and the man would collapse to the ground. His feeble attempts to stop the blood would be futile and his convulsing body would still.

"I said what do you think you're doing?" The guard says angrily giving Xehanort a shove that dissolves his day dream.

Xehanort stares silently at the man for a moment the image of his keyblade bloodied and the man's dead body flashing in his mind. His lips curls into a smile. "I am here to see King Keric and congratulate him on his ascension to the throne."

"Sorry sir," the guard says though he looks far from apologetic, "The King only sees visitors with appointments. You need to leave."

"Oh pardon me," Xehanort says in a mocking voice that makes the guard's face harden, "I do wish I had sent word that I was coming, but I like to keep everyone on their toes so..."

Xehanort leaves his statement hanging for a moment before summoning a flash of dark lightning which hits the guard in the neck killing him instantly. The second guard of the throne room who has been silently observing jumps in surprise and begins to fumble with his sword. Xehanort summons his keyblade and stands waiting patiently for the man to draw his weapon. With his sword finally out, the guard points it at Xehanort. Xehanort can see his hand trembling. With a sneer, Xehanort lunges forward swinging his keyblade for an overhead attack. The guard gasps in fear and raises his sword to parry the blow only to have it knocked out of his hand. The guard falls to his knees defenseless as Xehanort stands over him.

"Please...please don't..." the man begs. Xehanort ignores him and stabs forward with his keyblade. As the man is impaled by the keyblade, Xehanort hears him gasp and smiles knowing that is the last breath the man is ever going to take. With a tug, he pulls his keyblade back out, letting it disappear, and the man crumples in a bloody heap on the floor. Xehanort carefully steps over the body and stands before the great doors he knows lead to the throne room. With a burst of dark magic, he makes the doors swing open, crashing on their hinges, and strolls into the room with his hands behind his back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The teenage boy on the throne yells angrily standing with a haughty air. "This is my throne room and I will not have commoners bursting in uninvited. Rale! Lusa!"

"Your guards are dead, boy," Xehanort says and with a flick of his wrist the doors slam shut once more.

"Do not insult me! I am King Keric! I could have you beheaded for such rudeness." The boy king is angry, just the anger Xehanort was hoping to find.

"I'd like to see you try," Xehanort says in a threatening voice that makes Keric take half a step back. "Now I think you will take interest in what I have to say. It has to do with a certain young boy I think we both have a vested interest in."

"And who might that be?"

"Ventus."

At the name, Keric at first looks surprised, but soon his eyes narrow in anticipation. "You know where he is?"

"I do," Xehanort says noting with satisfaction the barely suppressed eagerness on Keric's face. "And I know how you can lure him here."

Keric slowly walks down the few steps from his raised throne to Xehanort and stands eye to eye with the older man. After a pause he says, "You are correct that I have a...special interest in bringing Ventus back here. But I am more interested in what you want from him."

Xehanort laughs. "That is of no concern to you boy. All you need to know is that Ventus will never come back to this world unless you let me make a few changes."

Keric's eyes narrow. "Go on."

"Are you aware that the boy possesses the legendary keyblade?'

"I am aware," Keric says slowly shocked by how much this strange man knows. "He tried to use it to defeat me several times, but his swordsmanship was childish. Even with the power of the keyblade, he was no match for me."

"Well his ability to wield the keyblade has taken him away from this world. The only way to make him return is to let the darkness destroy this world."

"What!" The king says shocked. "You want me to let my kingdom be destroyed? Are you mad?"

Xehanort cackles. "Don't tell me you care about your people? No, I think you are more concerned about yourself and the power you would lose. In that case I will make you an offer. Join me and I will bring Ventus back home. Join me and I will teach you how to control the darkness and conquer worlds. Though this world will fall to the darkness it will be well worth the loss. With Ventus' power all the worlds will be at our mercy and the darkness itself will do our will."

Keric licks his lips as he thinks of the incredible power Xehanort is speaking of. And best of all, he would get Ventus back. The thought of the younger blond boy once more at his side is reason enough to go along with the stranger's plan. "I'm in."

"Good," Xehanort says. "There is just one more thing. While as you said Ventus is a poor swordsman, his new friends who will come as well are much more skilled. Their power will have to be taken away."

"Can you do that?" Keric asks.

"Do not worry. They only have keyblades of light. When I put darkness into the heart of this world, there will not be enough light left for them to summon their keyblades. They will be helpless."

Xehanort begins to walk away from the king. "Wait!" Keric calls and Xehanort pauses. "You never told me your name."

"Names are a powerful thing boy," Xehanort says without turning. "For now I will keep mine hidden."

He continues to walk and when he reaches the door he pauses once more. Turning to face the young king he says, "Do not fail me Keric. I will return before this world falls completely to darkness and I expect you to have forced Ventus into submission by then. Make preparations, he should arrive in two or three days time."

With that, Xehanort exits the throne room stepping once more over the dead bodies of the guards. He walks down the corridor with a sneer of anticipation of his plan being set into motion.

…

"Don't go in there! Don't go in there! Don't! Ahh!" Ven screams as he buries his face in Zack's chest. Zack hugs Ven even tighter trying not to laugh at his reaction.

"He's gone. You can look now," Zack says to Ven who peeks back at the screen to see that Casper, the evil knife wielding ghost in the movie, had vanished leaving only the foolish sorority girl dead in the closet with her throat cut.

The scene changes to an angry mob outside the haunted house. "Oh no," Ven whispers pulling his knees up to his chest. He wraps his arms around his legs as a frat boy pushes the front door open with a creak. Zack holds him tighter. Even though he has seen this movie multiple times, this scene always gets him. The boy in the movie looks around the empty room and turns motioning for the others to enter as well. Then, out of thin air, Casper appears with his butcher knife in hand and slices the boy's neck open.

Both Zack and Ven scream and hold each other as the ghost continues his massacre of the mob outside. With all the people lying dead in pools of blood, Casper retreats into his house laughing evilly. The door shuts and lightning flashes around the house illuminating the butcher knife stabbed into the front door as a warning for everyone else who dared disturb him. The screen goes black, but Casper continues to laugh until the credits begin to roll.

Zack releases Ven and sits up stretching. He looks over to Ven who hasn't moved. "So you weren't scared at all, right?" Zack says sarcastically, and Ven looks at him pouting.

"I heard you screaming like a little girl at that last scene," Ven shoots back still pouting.

Ven looks so cute when he is scared and annoyed, and Zack can't help but lean in and kiss him. It's a gentle kiss, but when Zack pulls back, Ven grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him into a deeper kiss. Zack responds enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Ven once more. They make out and Ven moves closer, nearly sitting in Zack's lap. Zack moves his hands to Ven's hips and Ven tangles his fingers in Zack's hair.

The light in the room suddenly comes on and they break their kiss to look around blinking in the bright light. "Ventus!" Master Eraqus voice calls down the stairs. "It is time to go."

Ven groans and yells back, "In a few minutes!"

"Two minutes," Master Eraqus says and they can hear him close the door.

Ven groans again. "Why did he have to come? I'm old enough to fly alone, but he tagged along as chaperon anyway."

Zack brushes some hair out of Ven's face. "Do you two not get along?"

"We used to be okay, but now...I can't look at him without getting pissed off," Ven replies.

"What happened?" Zack asks curiously.

Ven shrugs. "He's keeping something from me and it's annoying as fuck because it's something really important. He then had the nerve to try and convince me it's unimportant."

"Do you have any clue what he isn't telling you?" Zack asks.

"From Terra and Aqua I know that he wants to protect me from darkness, but the problem is I don't know why," Ven replies with a sigh. "I just have this feeling there is something about me that he knows and just won't tell me. But I still have to listen to him so goodbye Zack."

"Goodbye Ven," Zack says giving him a kiss. "When do you think you can come back?"

"Hopefully soon," Ven says with a smile and gives him a kiss back. With a final smile at Zack, Ven walks back down the short hallway with the closet and bathroom.

"Ven!" Zack calls after him and Ven pauses at the bottom of the stairs to look back. "Don't forget to check under your bed tonight for Casper the murderous ghost boy!"

Ven sticks his tongue out at Zack and continues up the stairs. His smile fades when he opens the door at the top to see Master Eraqus standing with Cloud at the bar. He walks over and says, "I'm ready. Let's go."

Master Eraqus turns to him with a slight smile. "Alright Ventus, let's go home."

Ven glares back at him and walks out of the bar without waiting for him. Cloud looks at Master Eraqus with one eyebrow raised. "Teenagers," Master Eraqus replies with a shrug in response to his silent question. Cloud nods in understanding and Master Eraqus leaves him to chase after Ven and take him back to MEKA.

…

Later that night, all the apprentices and Master Eraqus are gathered around the table in the kitchen eating a delicious meal of pasta in Aqua's famous meat sauce. Putting down his fork as he finishes his last bite, Master Eraqus announces, "I will be gone for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow's lesson is going to be off world for the three of you." Master Eraqus gestures to the older three apprentices. "And I must make final preparations. I will see you all in the morning."

"Bye Master Eraqus." Sora and Riku say as Master Eraqus leaves the kitchen. The older apprentices stand and begin to clean up the kitchen.

"Can we play outside?" Riku asks.

"Only if Ven goes with you," Terra replies and Sora and Riku both look to Ven expectantly.

"Sure, why not," Ven says with a shrug and lets Sora and Riku drag him outside to play.

Aqua is drying the last dish when Terra comes up behind her and whispers in her ear, "It's just the two of us."

Aqua smiles and puts the dish away before turning to face Terra. She gives him a quick kiss, and then hurries out of the kitchen. Terra follows her and finds her sitting on the couch in the sitting room. She pats the cushion next to her invitingly, and Terra wastes no time in sitting beside her and kissing her passionately. His arms are wrapped around her, and his hands are caressing the small of her back. He can feel her fingers tangling in his hair as they make out for several minutes.

Aqua breaks their kiss breathing heavily, and gives Terra a mischievous grin. He only has a moment to wonder what she is thinking before she pushes him down on the couch and lies on top of him. She kisses him again, and Terra is in complete bliss. Nothing could ruin this perfect moment except...

"Holy shit! Woah! PG guys! PG!"

Ven's voice makes Aqua jump off Terra faster than Terra thought was humanly possible. He sits up and turns to see Ven staring at them from the doorway with an amused expression and his hands covering both Sora and Riku's eyes.

"Hey!" Riku shouts in protest. "I can't see!"

"Me neither," Sora says and then proceeds to lick Ven's hand.

"Sora!" Ven says taking his hand back. Sora just laughs and looks curiously at Terra and Aqua who are both a brilliant shade of red. They are both also too stunned to speak.

Ven takes his hand off Riku's eyes as well and says to both boys, "Bedtime boys. Go on."

Grumbling Sora and Riku leave the room and head up the stairs. As the climb the steps Sora asks, "Riku, what were Terra and Aqua doing?"

Riku rolls his eyes. "They were kissing Sora," he says.

Sora considers this for a moment and then asks, "Why?"

"I dunno. It's just something teenagers do," Riku replies.

"It looked gross," Sora says. "I'm never gonna kiss anyone!"

"Me neither!" Riku says and they both run to their room.

…

Back downstairs, Ven sits down in a chair, leaning back with a wide grin on his face. Terra finally finds his voice again and asks, "Why- why did you guys come back in so soon?"

"Uh it started raining," Ven replies still grinning. "I guess you guys were too distracted to notice."

Aqua walks up to Ven and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Ven, listen to me," she says in a serious voice. "Please don't tell Master Eraqus. If he finds out-"

"He'd probably be okay with it," Ven says giving her a smile. "But don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"You don't seem all that surprised," Terra says.

"Well you see," Ven replies. "I have this special talent. I'm really good at faking being asleep."

Terra and Aqua stare at him confused for several moments before realization hits them. "You were awake on the beach!" Aqua cries in shock.

Ven laughs and nods. "I heard everything. You guys thought you were so sneaky. But you can't fool me." He stands. "Now you two lovebirds have fun," he says walking out of the room, but then he pokes his head back in. "But not too much fun!"

Both Aqua and Terra turn bright red, and Ven laughs to himself as he climbs the stairs. As he passes Sora and Riku's room, which is next to his, he can hear them talking and sees that the light is on inside. "Lights out!" Ven calls through the door. "It's bedtime."

"'Kay Ven!" Sora's voice calls back and the light turns off.

Ven continues to his room and quickly gets ready for bed. Switching off the light, he flops onto his bed with a sigh. He closes his eyes and lets himself begin to drift off. However, before he can completely succumb to sleep, a slight sound makes him open his eyes. Looking around he sees nothing. With a shrug, he closes his eyes again, but he hears it again. His eyes shoot open and he sits up looking around. There it is again! With his heart beating faster than normal, Ven turns on the small lamp beside his bed. It only illuminates half the room leaving the far side in eerie shadows. He sees nothing, but the sound continues coming from across the room.

Swallowing hard Ven gets out of bed slowly. The floor creaks slightly as he stands and he almost jumps a mile. Shaking himself mentally for his reaction, Ven walks to the other side of the room determined to find a logical answer for the sounds he is hearing. He slows as he leaves the circle of light from his lamp and enters the dark shadows. The sound stops for a moment and he relaxes, but then it returns a little louder than before. With his heart hammering, Ven walks up to his wardrobe against the wall. The sound seems to be coming from here. Reaching out a trembling hand, Ven slowly turns the doorknob, and throws open the doors to see...nothing. There is nothing in his wardrobe except his clothes.

The sound hasn't stopped, but Ven's eyes narrow. It is clearer here, and he can tell it is coming from the wall behind the wardrobe. Pressing his ear against the wall, he hears the unmistakable sound of Sora's laugh. The noises he had been hearing were just Sora and Riku talking in the other room.

"Stupid, stupid," Ven says to himself making his way back to his bed. He mentally scolds himself for being scared so easily. But when he turns his light off, plunging the room into total darkness, unexplainable fear grips him. Groaning, he pulls the sheet over his head. Why did he watch that stupid horror movie?

* * *

**So just for the record, as far as I know there isn't a movie called Casper the Unfriendly Ghost so yeah I made it up. I was going to use a real movie (like the other movies Ven was looking at) but I don't watch a ton of scary movies and I don't remember the ones I have seen well enough to write about them.**

**I wish this chapter wasn't so freaking long, but I wanted to keep all this stuff together. Having trouble remembering all the important stuff that happened in this super sized chapter? Well here is a summary to refresh your memory.**

**Ven is still mad at Master Eraqus, Ven and Zack had a great first official date, Xehanort and Keric have made an alliance, Xehanort is planning on luring our heroes to Carinol to get Ven, and Aqua and Terra know that Ven knows about them.**

**I DREW PICTURES! I'm not a great artist, but I did my best to draw the outfits I described for the gang in Christmas Town. If you want to check them out this is the account I set up on devianart. **

**I'm still working on Halloween Town drawings and I'll post them when I get them done.**

**OKAY! This chapter is already monstrously long so here are some short and sweet responses to reviews.**

**Mexi: I hope you like the drawings!**

**SnowKawasagi: Here's some Terra and Aqua just for you :)**

**MLSoT: Cuddle time ruined by Master Eraqus :( **


	28. Roawr!

Chapter 28 _Roawr!_

"Today's lesson for you three is to explore a world known as the Pride Lands," Master Eraqus says to Terra, Aqua, and Ven the next morning after the breakfast dishes had been washed and put away. "I have already spoken to the leader there and he is expecting you. He understands who you are and will help you acclimate to the world."

"What is there to get used to?" Terra asks.

"Ah, that is the surprise," Master Eraqus says with a smile. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Ven roll his eyes. "Also, you will be traveling by light corridor. Let's head outside and I will teach you."

The Terra and Aqua follow Master Eraqus to the front door with Ven bringing up the rear and dragging his feet. Outside, Master Eraqus waits patiently for Ven to catch up before beginning to speak. "Summoning a light corridor requires coming in contact with the light realm which connects all the worlds. These corridors can be extremely useful, but should not be overused. Walking the light corridors too often is very dangerous. If you remain too long in contact with the light realm it will attack the darkness in your heart and end up destroying you. However, light corridors are perfectly safe to use sparingly, and sometimes, like today, they are a safer way to enter a world than using your keyblade gliders." Master Eraqus looks to his apprentices to see if they have any questions, but they do not so he continues.

"Only knowing the name of the world you wish to go to is enough to summon a corridor to take you there. If however, you have been to the world before you will be able to decide which part of the world you want the corridor to take you to. Now, all three of you can try to summon a corridor, and you may depart once one of you has succeeded. Simply hold your hand out and draw upon your inner light while focusing on the world, in this case the Pride Lands, and a corridor will appear." He moves a few steps away to observe his students attempts. The three of them stand slightly apart, each with their hand held out before them and their brows furrowed.

The seconds stretch into minutes as nothing happens. Unsurprisingly, it is Aqua who is the first to succeed as a small pinprick of light appears in front of her which spirals out into a large portal. Both Ven and Terra stop their attempts and walk over. "Nice job Aqua," Terra says giving her a smile.

"Alright," Master Eraqus says. "Spend as long as you like in the Pride Lands. It will be a different experience for all of you. As I said, the leader of the world is expecting you. His name is Mufasa, and he will help you. As always be safe and polite." Master Eraqus says the last part directly to Ven who scowls.

With their curiosity fit to bursting at what they will find in the Pride Lands, Terra, Aqua, and Ven walk through the light corridor. As it disappears behind them, Master Eraqus turns to head back into the castle and begin Sora and Riku's lesson on dodge rolls, but something in the sky catches his eye. He turns to watch as two keyblade riders descend to him. He instantly recognizes the rider clothed in silver armor on the larger blue rider as Master Yen Sid, and he infers the the the small rider with gold and silver armor on the red glider is his apprentice Mickey. They land at the steps to MEKA and dismiss their gliders and armor. Master Yen Sid steps forward to greet Master Eraqus with a graver expression than usual.

"Eraqus, my old friend," Master Yen Sid says. "I am afraid I have some troubling news."

Master Eraqus becomes very serious and asks, "What is it?"

Master Yen Sid replies, "It has to do with the world of Carinol, and your apprentice Ventus."

…

Ven blinks as he walks out of the light corridor. The landscape has changed drastically to a wild open savanna, and everything seems larger. He senses movement behind him and turns to see Terra and Aqua step out of the light corridor as well, except they don't look like Terra and Aqua. "Are you guys...lions?" Ven asks shocked, taking in their new appearances.

"Apparently," Terra says as he examines his new form. His fur is tan in color and his large mane is a dark brown. Standing beside him is Aqua, whose fur is very pale with just a hint of blue to it. As both turn to look at Ven curiously, he realizes he is looking up to both of them.

"Hey," Ven says slowly. "Why are you guys taller than me?"

"You're so cute Ven!" Aqua exclaims bending her head down to be at his level. "Aw, you're just a little cub."

"What!" Ven shouts craning his next to look at himself. Compared to the other two he is tiny with light yellow fur and only a few tufts of blond hair where his mane would be. "Not fair! Why am I a cub?" He flops down on his stomach with a disgruntled expression and the few hairs he does have fall in his eyes.

He mutters angrily to himself as Terra and Aqua laugh at his outburst. "So where are we going to find this Mufasa guy?" Terra asks looking around.

"Well," Aqua replies. "If we're lions he is probably a lion too."

"Good point. Which way do you think we should go to look for him?" Terra asks. "Maybe towards that big rock thing?"

Aqua and Ven look in the direction he is talking about to see a huge rock formation jutting out of the otherwise flat landscape. Ven gets to his feet with a shrug. "Seems like the best place to look."

Aqua nods and they begin to walk towards the pile of rocks. They move awkwardly at first as they adjust to four legs, but soon they are moving along at a comfortable speed. They stop to rest for a moment at a small oasis, taking a few minutes to drink some water out of the little pool and rest in the shade. Their brief hiatus is interrupted however when heartless suddenly appear around them.

With four Living Bone heartless approaching with their skeletal jaws snapping in anticipation, Terra, Aqua, and Ven bunch together to face their attackers. "How do we fight as lions?" Ven asks from between Terra and Aqua. They exchange a worried glance.

"Should we make a run for it?" Aqua asks Terra and he nods.

"Head for those rocks!" He shouts and they turn and sprint towards the rock formation still far off in the distance. Clattering from behind them alerts them to the fact that the heartless are in pursuit. Ven runs as fast he can, but even still, Terra and Aqua begin to pull ahead of him. His legs are just too short to keep up.

"Ven!" Aqua calls back when she sees he has fallen behind. She and Terra skid to a stop and wait for Ven to catch up.

The Living Bone heartless are gaining ground on Ven and when he looks back one snaps a little too close to his tail. Ven lets out a small yelp and tries to run even faster, but he trips up as his still new four legs tangle together. With more yelping he tumbles across the ground coming to a stop on his back. He lies there defenseless as one of the huge heartless runs at him with its mouth open wide and its sharp teeth glinting in the sun. A huge roar comes from behind Ven and he sees Terra jump over him and slash at the heartless with his claws. As Ven gets to his feet, he feels something grab him around the middle and pull him off his feet. Yelping in surprise, Ven twists to see that Aqua had picked him up in her mouth and is carrying him as she and Terra continue their sprint across the savanna.

As the rock formation gets closer, Ven hears another roar, this one deeper and more powerful than Terra's. He looks back to see that the Living Bone heartless are slowly gaining ground on Terra and Aqua. A few heart pounding minutes later, the heartless are snapping at their heels, but help has finally arrived. A large full grown lion and several lionesses come out of nowhere to attack the Living Bone heartless. With two or three lions per heartless, it only takes a few moments for the lions to put an end to the threat. With sides heaving in an attempt to catch their breath, Terra and Aqua make their way slowly to the lions that saved them.

"Let me go!" Ven complains trying to wiggle out of Aqua's hold. "Aqua! This is so embarrassing! Just put me down already." Aqua complies by opening her mouth and letting Ven fall to the ground in a heap. "I hate being a cub." Ven continues to complain as he gets to his feet and follows the others over to the large lion whose watchful eyes never waver from the keyblade wielders.

"Mufasa?" Aqua asks the large male lion. He nods slightly and the three keyblade wielders incline their heads slightly to him. "Thank you for saving us," Aqua continues. "I am Aqua, and this is Terra and Ven."

"Eraqus sent you." It isn't a question as the majestic lion walks around them looking critically at them. "I see what he meant by there is a lot for you to learn." There is slight amusement in his voice, but it is kind.

"This world is very different from our own," Terra says.

"Yes it is," Mufasa agrees. "As Eraqus asked of me, I will help you adjust to your new forms and learn to fight." Mufasa leans down to Ven who draws himself up to his full diminutive height. "You, my little one, are too young to fight however."

"But that's not fair!" Ven whines. "I want to fight too."

Mufasa lets out a booming laugh. "You remind me of my son. Always eager. Come now." Mufasa turns and begins to lead the keyblade wielders towards the rock formation with the lionesses following behind.

...

"Welcome to Pride Rock," Mufasa says as they reach their destination. Terra, Aqua, and Ven crane their necks up to see all the way to the top of the huge upright rock that towers over them.

"Dad!" A little lion cub comes running towards them with a huge grin on his face. "Guess what! Guess what?" He says stopping in front of Mufasa.

Mufasa complies and asks, "What?"

"I caught Zazu," the lion cub says with a smug expression.

"It wasn't exactly like I was trying to run from you." A blue and white hornbill lands next to Mufasa with an annoyed expression.

Mufasa gives him an apologetic look before turning to his son and saying, "I'm very proud of you Simba. You will surely be a great hunter one day."

Simba bounces up and down at the praise, but when his eyes fall on Terra, Aqua, and Ven, his attention suddenly switches. "Who are they?" He asks his father.

"Simba, I would like to introduce you to the keyblade wielders who are visiting us today," Mufasa says bringing Simba over to them. "This is Terra, Aqua, and Ven. Say hello Simba."

"Hello," Simba says curiously with a big smile. He wanders over to Ven and they eye each other for a moment. "We match!" Simba points out and the others nod in agreement. Ven and Simba's fur color is very similar, and with no manes to speak of, the only way to tell them apart is their eye color. Mufasa and the lionesses begin to walk up onto Pride Rock, and Terra and Aqua follow. "Hey, you wanna meet my best friend Nala?" Simba asks Ven.

Ven looks to Terra and Aqua who nod that it is alright. "Sure," Ven replies and the two of them run off together to a different part of the large rock than where Mufasa is leading the others.

Terra and Aqua follow Mufasa to the top of rock structure where there is a flat circular top. The lionesses had left them to remain down below, but they are not alone. A lanky lion with a black mane is relaxing on the ground playing with a mouse he has as it tries to run from him. "Didn't mother ever tell you not to play with your food Scar?" Mufasa says in a disapproving voice.

Scar looks up and the mouse takes the opportunity to run away. "Why if it isn't my dear brother," Scar says in a mocking voice. He looks at Terra and Aqua sizing them up. "I take it these are the students."

"Yes, these are the keyblade wielders," Mufasa replies in a wary voice. "I am going to give them a fighting lesson. Would you like to join?"

"As much fun as that sounds, I have to find the lunch you scared away," Scar replies and walks past them, and heads down the path down the rock. Terra and Aqua look at Mufasa curiously.

Mufasa sighs. "Scar is my younger brother. He's harmless. Just annoying." Mufasa walks to the center of the of the plateau. "Now I cannot teach you how to fight in this form with your keyblades, but I will teach you how we lions fight."

Terra and Aqua listen carefully as Mufasa explains to them the basic principles of pouncing, scratching, and biting. Mufasa watches them play fight for a while as they experiment with the capabilities of their new forms. When Zazu appears and whispers in Mufasa's ear, Mufasa interrupts their fight saying, "I apologize, but there is a matter I must attend to. It will only take a moment."

As Mufasa leaves, Ven comes bounding up the path and joins his two friends on the plateau. "Hey guys," he says cheerfully. "Having fun?"

"Yes, we have learned a lot," Aqua replies. "What have you and Simba been up to?"

"We went to the watering hole with Nala," Ven tells them. "But when we came back their moms said they needed a bath so I came up here to see you guys. How's fighting like a lion?"

"Pretty cool," Terra says. "It's kind of like hand to hand combat just with paws and teeth."

"It seems natural," Aqua adds. "It's like the magic of this world has given us lion instincts. And fighting is not the only thing that's natural." She says this as she nuzzles Terra affectionately. He returns the gesture, and Ven makes a gagging sound.

They stop to look over at him. Ven continues to make the gagging sound and his whole body shudders as a small dark ball falls out of his mouth. "Hairball," Ven says looking up at Terra and Aqua who are staring at him.

"That...was disgusting," Aqua finally says.

Ven shrugs his shoulders. "It seemed natural."

Terra rolls his eyes. "So do you guys want to try summoning our keyblades and see what happens?"

"Ok!" Ven says and immediately summons his keyblade. Surprisingly, it appears in his mouth, and he yelps as the sudden weight makes him fall forward and hit his chin on the ground. Spitting it out, he straightens up and rubs his jaw. "Ow."

"How strange," Aqua says. She summons her keyblade as well, and it appears in her mouth like Ven. Unlike Ven however, she is able to hold its weight in her strong jaw. She begins to swing it around to get used to holding it in such a strange way. Terra summons his keyblade, and finds that he too is able to hold his keyblade in his mouth. Ven glares down at his own keyblade and tries to pick it up again. He succeeds in holding it in his mouth, but it weighs nearly as much as him in this form which causes him to stumble around with little control of it. Terra and Aqua watch in amusement until he gives up and makes his keyblade disappear.

"I hate being a cub," Ven complains again and leaves the other two to spar while he returns to the base of Pride Rock.

Bored, Ven looks around until he spots Simba walking away with his uncle Scar. Not seeing anything else to do, Ven decides to follow them and see where they are going. They lead him to a deep gorge where they make their way to the bottom. Ven carefully makes his way down, and when he gets to the bottom, Scar is gone leaving Simba sitting alone on a rock in the shade of a solitary tree. "Hey Simba!" Ven calls bounding over. "What are you doing here?"

"Scar said my dad has a surprise for me," Simb explains. "He told me wait here."

"What kind of surprise?" Ven asks curiously taking a seat beside Simba on the rock.

"Dunno," Simba replies. "Uncle Scar just told me to sit here and wait for him. Oh! And he told me to practice my roar. Watch this!" Simba spots a gecko on the ground and jumps down beside it. After a deep breath Simba lets out his roar. "Rawr!" The gecko doesn't even react.

"Lemme try," Ven says jumping down to join Simba. He faces the gecko. "Rawr!" Ven's pitiful roar is just as ineffective as Simba's.

"Rrrroawr!" Simba tries again, but the gecko just blinks at him.

"Rawrrrr!" Ven tries and the gecko starts to walk away again.

"ROAWR!" They both roar louder than before and at the same time. They succeed in scaring the gecko as it flees from them. With triumphant smiles, they both perk their ears to listen to the sound of the echo their mighty roar had created.

As the echo fades, a new sound reaches their ears. Rumbling. It is coming from one end of the gorge, and they both turn as their ears flatten back in fear to see a stampede of wildebeests coming down the sloped side and heading straight for them. With gasps of fear, Simba and Ven take off running, trying to get away from the stampede. The wildebeests, however, are much faster than the two lion cubs and in only a few seconds Ven and Simba find themselves in the middle of the stampede running for their lives as they try and avoid the stamping hooves. Up ahead, Ven spots a dead tree sticking out of the ground which the wild animals are forced to skirt around.

"Simba!" Ven shouts trying to find his friend among the multitude of moving legs. "Simba!"

"Here!" Simba's shout comes from behind and Ven glances back for half a second to see Simba only a few steps behind him.

"We gotta get to that tree!" Ven says quickly as he leads Simba in the right direction. A few frantic seconds more of dodging sharp hooves, and Ven and Simba make it to the tree wasting no time in scrambling up it's slender trunk. At the end of the dead tree, they are higher than the stampeding wildebeests, but even with claws, hanging onto the tree is difficult. It shakes in rhythm with the pounding hooves, and Ven and Simba are thrown around as they cling to the dead wood for their lives.

Ven can hear Simba whimpering in fear, and finds himself doing the same. Shutting his eyes tight, Ven calls out in his mind, "Terra! Aqua! Where are you? I need you..."

* * *

**I cry everytime I watch the gorge scene in The Lion King. Every. Single. Time. It always gets me. Even just thinking about it...*sniff* **

**Ok pulling myself together to reply to reviews.**

**Mexi: I'll definitely try and have them watch Insidious at one point. I've never seen it, but I have a friend who is terrified by that red demon face thing. Her reaction to me shoving a picture of it in her face...priceless.**

**SnowKawasagi: I think Terra and Aqua need to have The Talk again...**

**Zephyr26: I can't wait for what's coming too! *jumps up and down in excitement* I have so much planned! And all of it is evil! Mwhaahhah! :)**

**PARTY TIME!**

**Why? you ask. Well, this story has made two achievements that are blowing my mind. **

**1. Thank you Zephyr26 for giving the 50th review of this story!**

**2. With the posting of this chapter, this story will over 100,000 words long! **

***sniff* It seems like only yesterday little **_**MEKA**_ **was just a stupid idea floating around in my brain, and now it's all grown up and over 100,000 words...**

**But enough reminiscing! Let's look to the future and see what is coming up in the next chapter:**

**Next time we will hear what grave news Yen Sid has for Eraqus, and see how he reacts. Also, we will see the thrilling, and not so surprising conclusion to our heroes visit to the Pride Lands.**

**Ta ta for now! :)**


	29. Stampede

Chapter 29 _Stampede_

"Stay with Mickey okay?" Master Eraqus says to Sora and Riku who both nod that they will. Master Eraqus then turns and leads Master Yen Sid out of the kitchen leaving Mickey to keep an eye on the two boys. They head upstairs to Master Eraqus' office where, once they are seated, Master Eraqus stares expectantly at Master Yen Sid.

"First, I must ask if there has been any change to Ventus," Master Yen Sid says.

"I have yet to tell him about Xehanort or the x-blade," Master Eraqus replies. "I do not think he is ready to handle that yet. But he does know that he must stay away from darkness at all costs, and as far as I can tell he has been doing just that."

"Good," Master Yen Sid says taking a short pause to collect his thoughts. "As you know, Mickey and I have been traveling worlds in search of Xehanort since the last time we spoke. So far, our search has been fruitless, and the few leads we had were wrong turns. However, while we were traveling, I detected a shift in the balance of light and dark in the world of Carinol. Do you recall in my letter, before we knew Ventus, I asked you to find a light on Carinol that was going out?"

"The light that keeps the world from fading into darkness," Master Eraqus muses. "That was Ventus."

"Indeed," Master Yen Sid replies. "In that light deprived world, Ventus played a large role in keeping the balance. Now it seems that without him the world is falling to its darker side. If we do not intervene, Carinol will be consumed by its darkness in only a few days time."

Master Eraqus sits back taking this news in. No world deserves to fall to darkness. "It sounds like the only way to save the world is to lock the keyhole," Master Eraqus states.

Master Yen Sid nods in agreement. "That will stop the darkness from taking over." Master Yen Sid pauses again before voicing another thought. "I am curious as to Xehanort's roll in this. I have no proof, but I feel that he is somehow involved. Eraqus, no matter what, you must keep Ventus from returning to Carinol in its current state. There is too much darkness, it is too big of a risk."

Master Eraqus nods slowly. "I agree. However, he will not be easily dissuaded from going."

"I have already spoken to Mickey and the people of his homeworld. They have agreed to watch Ventus, as well as Riku and Sora, while you and your other apprentices tackle this new threat."

"Thank you Yen Sid," Master Eraqus says. "I would not have felt comfortable leaving Ventus unsupervised. Are you and Mickey going to continue your search?"

Master Yen Sid nods. "We will follow this lead, and see if we can find a connection between Xehanort and the darkness of Carinol."

"Good luck, and be careful," Master Eraqus says seriously. "Xehanort has always been crafty. I fear we will not know what his plan is until it is already too late to stop him."

Master Yen Sid doesn't reply, but the worried expression on his face agrees with Master Eraqus. The two old friends stand and leave the office to return downstairs to their apprentices. They return to the kitchen to find Mickey and the boys huddled around the open refrigerator.

"What have you three been up to?" Master Eraqus asks and Sora and Riku run over to him excited.

"Mickey showed us how to make jello!" Riku tells him.

"It's green!" Sora adds with a big grin.

"I hope cha don't mind Master Eraqus," Mickey says placing a tray of green liquid on one of the shelves in the fridge. "I found the mix in the pantry, and Sora and Riku got kinda excited."

"It is perfectly alright," Master Eraqus replies. "Thank you for keeping them occupied and thank you for opening your home to them when we go to Carinol."

"My pleasure," Mickey replies with a smile as he closes the fridge door.

"Mickey," Master Yen Sid says. "It is time for us to depart."

"See ya soon," Mickey says waving to Sora and Riku who wave back.

"Riku, Sora," Master Eraqus says to the two boys as the others leave. "Lesson have been postponed today." Sora raises his hand. "Yes Sora?"

"What does postedpone mean?" He asks

"Postponed Sora. It means that there are no lessons today. You can just go play," Master Eraqus says in amusement seeing their faces light up. As they run off to their toys, Master Eraqus walks slowly back to his study, lost in thoughts of how to tell Ven that he cannot go with them.

…

"This is quite an impressive kingdom sir," Terra says to Mufasa. He, Aqua, Mufasa, and the hornbill Zazu are standing on a large rock on the savanna and gazing over the peaceful landscape Mufasa rules over.

"Thank you Terra," Mufasa replies.

"Oh look, sire," Zazu says pointing with one winged arm down at the savanna below them. "The herd is on the move."

"Odd," Mufasa says watching as the large herd of wildebeest move from their normal grazing grounds in the savanna and run down into the gorge. The group turns to return to Pride Rock when Scar suddenly scrambles up the rock to them with a distraught expression.

"Mufasa...quick...stampede...in the gorge. Simba's down there!" Scar says out of breath.

"Simba?" Mufasa says fear in his voice. He at once runs in the direction of the gorge with Terra, Aqua, and Zazu close behind.

"I'll find him sire!" Zazu cries and flies ahead of them, diving down into the gorge. He flies over the stampeding wildebeests, searching frantically for the small cub.

"Zazu!"

The terrified shout makes Zazu spin around to spot Simba clinging to a dead tree in the middle of the gorge. Zazu flies to him seeing that Ven is also in the same danger as Simba. "Zazu! Help us!" Simba cries.

"Your father and your friends are on their way," Zazu says quickly. "Just hold on!" As Zazu pulls up and away from the two struggling cubs he can hear both Simba and Ven cry,

"Hurry!"

"Mufasa!" Zazu calls out as he comes out of the gorge.

"Here Zazu!" Mufasa calls to him from the edge of the gorge where he stands with Aqua and Terra. Zazu flies as fast as he can to them shouting as he does so.

"There! There! They are on that tree!"

"They?" Aqua says in a fearful voice.

Zazu nods. "Ven is with Simba."

The three lions waste no time as they quickly make their way down the side of the gorge each consumed by frightening thoughts for the two cubs. As soon as they reach the bottom they are thrust into the stampede. Within seconds, they are separated by the hundreds of wildebeests running past them.

Running with the flow of the stampede, Aqua keeps her eyes set on the lone tree where she can see Ven and Simba starting to lose their grip on the trunk. Their terrified yelping gives her a burst of energy and she shoves her way through the wildebeests coming out in front of the tree. Mufasa is already there and together they run at the tree just as a wildebeest smashes into the base at full speed. The weak dead wood splinters immediately and Ven and Simba are sent tumbling through the air.

Together Aqua and Mufasa charge and jump into the air catching the cubs in their mouths. Aqua lands with Ven and immediately loses Mufasa and Simba in the sea of wildebeests. She runs and dodges the wildebeests trying to find a way out of the stampede, but she is suddenly struck in the side by one of the animals. She is knocked off her feet and Ven is once more flying through the air.

He lands hard, but quickly sits up looking around for Aqua. All he can see are hooves flashing past him at terrifying speeds. Cowering in fear, Ven is trapped and it is only a matter of time before a wildebeest would unknowingly trample him. But just as one heads straight for him, it is sent flying off as Terra slams into it. Terra turns quickly, scooping Ven up in his mouth, and runs to the edge of the gorge dodging countless wildebeests.

Terra spots a ledge high enough up the side to be safe and with a grunt of effort he jumps high enough to pull himself up. He sets Ven down and says quickly, "Stay here. I'll find Aqua."

Without waiting for Ven to argue, Terra jumps back down from the ledge and back into the fray. "Aqua!" He shouts, but his voice is barely audible over the sound of pounding hooves. He searches frantically for her. A wildebeest hits him sending him to the ground, but he quickly rolls to his feet ignoring the scrapes and continues his search. A small cry of pain makes him spin around and race off towards Aqua who is lying on the ground having just been thrown by one of the stampeding brutes. "Aqua!" Terra shouts running to her side. He is panicking as he takes in the blood on her fur, but she begins to get to her feet making him sigh in relief. She is unsteady and obviously in pain, but she still manages to give him a small reassuring smile. Then, her eyes widen in fear, and Terra spins quickly swinging his claws with a roar at the wildebeest that had almost trampled them.

"I got Ven," Terra yells over the noise. "C'mon!" He leads her back to the ledge he had left Ven on guarding both of them from the wildebeests as Aqua is too injured to do much. They reach the ledge where Ven is looking down at them with an expression of fear and relief. Aqua tries to jump up to the ledge, but in her weakened state she struggles to pull herself up. Terra gives her a boost and she finally reaches safety.

Terra jumps and gets his front paws on the ledge. He begins to pull himself up, but a wildebeest knocks into him, and makes him lose his hold. Just as he is about to fall, something latches onto his right paw, keeping it in place, and he is hanging onto the ledge by one paw. He looks up to see Ven had pounced on his paw and is keeping him from falling. With a roar of effort, Terra swings his other paw back onto the ledge and Aqua grabs it. Terra scrambles with his back paws to push himself up while Aqua pulls him up. When he gets halfway onto the ledge, Ven grabs his ear in his mouth and tugs. With one last effort by all three of them, Terra is on the ledge and they are collapse together breathing hard from exertion and fear.

"Cur-Curaga," Terra says placing a paw on Aqua. She shivers slightly as the numerous scratches and bruises she had from being nearly trampled to death heal.

"Cura," Aqua says placing a paw on Terra's scraped side. His injuries heal as well and he nuzzles her gently. The trio remain huddled together in silence except for the occasional sniffle from Ven. It's not until the sound of pounding hooves fades and an eerie silence echoes through the gorge do they venture off their small ledge.

"Where-where's Simba?" Ven asks.

"Mufasa had him," Aqua says reassuringly. "I'm sure he's..." She catches sight of something large lying on the ground under a broken tree. "...fine."

Venturing closer, they are able to make out what they are seeing and together they gasp in dismay. Mufasa is lying on his side with his eyes closed. He isn't moving. In the silence of the gorge they can hear a quiet voice full of tears. "You gotta get up. Dad. We gotta go home." Simba is next to his father pulling on his ear in a futile attempt to wake him. Ven moves to go to his friend's side, but is stopped by Scar who appears out of the dusty air.

"I will take care of him," Scar says quietly. "You all may leave now." His tone leaves no room for argument, but Ven tries anyway,

"But...but...," he stammers trying to hold back his tears.

"C'mon Ven," Terra says quietly using a large paw to turn Ven away from the sad scene. "Simba's uncle will make sure he's alright. We have no place being here."

With one last look back to see Simba hugging Scar, Ven lets Terra and Aqua lead him out of the gorge and back onto the open savanna. Ven walks between them with his head down. Aqua looks down at him sadly to see him rub his eyes with a paw. She stops and crouches down to him. "Oh Ven," she says sadly pulling him into a hug which he returns, gripping her tightly as a sob rock his small body.

"I-I thought I was going to lose you guys," Ven sobs out. "I-I couldn't see you. I thought- I thought-"

"Shh," Aqua says soothingly. "We're right here. We're safe. You're safe."

Sniffing, Ven pulls back and wipes his eyes. "Can we go home?"

"Of course," Terra says gently. He reaches down and gently picks up Ven. He turns his neck and deposits Ven on his back. Ven curls up and buries his face in Terra's thick mane as Aqua leads them to a more secluded area to summon a light corridor.

"Well, well, well, Banzai. What do we have here?" Out of the shadow of a pile of boulders, the female hyena who had spoken walks to the trio with two more hyena's flanking her. They begin to circle the keyblade wielders who watch them warily.

"Hmm, I don't know Shenzi," the hyena named Banzai replies. "What do you think Ed?" The third hyena just laughs insanely at the question leering at Aqua who growls at him. "Yeah, just what I was thinking," Banzai says. "We caught ourselves a king."

"What?" Terra asks, but instead of giving an answer the hyenas pounce.

Ven, who had been watching the whole scene silently from Terra's back, yelps in shock as Shenzi tackles him off of Terra. They roll for a moment across the ground, but they when they come to a stop, Ven is pinned down at his shoulders by the larger hyena. Ven struggles and growls at Shenzi who just laughs at him. Ven looks to his left and right to see Terra and Aqua both involved in heated fights with the two other hyenas. "What the fuck do you want?" Ven growls at Shenzi.

"Woah," she says laughing. "Is that the way a king should be talking?"

"King? I'm not a king?" Ven says confused.

"In denial are you?" Shenzi replies. "Reality check. Daddy's dead and you, Simba, are the new king." Ven stares at her confused, but before he can correct her she whispers one last thing to him. "And I don't like kings."

With that, she snaps down at him with her jaws wide open and showing her sharp teeth. Ven reacts on instinct and in a flash his keyblade appears in his mouth, blocking Shenzi from biting his throat. She yelps in surprise and jumps off him. Letting his keyblade disappear, Ven scrambles to his feet and growls at her with the hair on his spine standing straight up. "I'm not Simba."

"No, you most certainly are not," Shenzi replies backing away slightly. "Banzai! Ed! We've been seeing double! This ain't him." She turns back to Ven with a sly smile. "Honest mistake," she says. "We were just kidding."

Ven glares at her not believing her apology. He quickly summons his keyblade. "Fire!" A small fireball bursts out of his blade and hits Shenzi in the head. A few of the hairs on her head catch fire and with much yelping she puts out the flames.

"Alright, alright. We're goin'," she says as she and the other two hyenas back away slowly before sprinting back into the shadows.

Aqua comes over to Ven, and checks him quickly for injuries. "You okay?" She asks and Ven nods.

He looks curiously at Terra who is standing a little ways away from them with one paw held out and a look of intense concentration on his face. A pinprick of light appears in front of his outstretched paw, and it quickly becomes a full sized portal. With a small smile, he turns to others and says, "Let's get out of here." They nod and follow him through the portal.

…

"We're back!" Aqua calls as they enter the castle. They pause expecting Sora and Riku to come running, but they don't. Exchanging shrugs, the trio makes their way into the castle.

"I'm starved," Terra announces and heads off in the direction of the kitchen.

"Where are Riku and Sora?" Ven asks looking around the empty sitting room. All the toys are there, but the boys are nowhere in sight.

"In here," Terra calls to them from the kitchen. "I found them."

Ven and Aqua enter and can't help but laugh at the scene before them. Sora and Riku are sitting on opposite ends of the kitchen table. Both have their heads resting on the table, and a plate of green jello squares is in front of each of them.

"Are you guys okay?" Aqua asks moving to the table.

Both boys nod their heads without lifting them from the table. "We had a jello eating contest," Riku mumbles. "I won." He and Sora both groan.

Trying not to laugh, Ven asks, "How much did you win by?"

Riku holds up a hand with three fingers raised. Ven grabs Sora's plate, picking up one of the jello squares. "C'mon Sora! Three more to tie! You can do it!" Ven says energetically trying to get Sora to eat the jello.

"Noooo," Sora moans. "My tummy hurts."

Ven shurgs and pops the jello square into his mouth. As he swallows, Master Eraqus enters the kitchen with a strange look on his face. "Ah, you're back," he says. "Did you enjoy being lions?"

"I was only a cub," Ven complains and Master Eraqus smiles, but it looks fake.

"I'm sorry Ventus," Master Eraqus replies. "Well, it is almost dinnertime. Ventus, did you want to go to Traverse Town today?"

"Uh," Ven says surprised by the question. "Sure."

"Alright, I'll let you go by yourself on one condition," Master Eraqus says. "Use a light corridor to travel, not your glider."

"Ok," Ven says. "I haven't made one yet, but I'll try." He holds his hand out in front of him and concentrates hard. He even closes his eyes to shut out all other distractions. A warm, tingling sensation starts on his hand, and he opens his eyes to see that he has succeeded in creating a light corridor.

"Very good Ventus," Master Eraqus praises. "Here." He hands Ven a handful of munny coins. "Buy dinner for yourself and Zack."

"...Thanks," Ven says looking at Master Eraqus with his eyes narrowed slightly. Was it just him or is his teacher acting a little strange?

With a final look back, Ven walks through the portal. As it disappears, Master Eraqus visibly relaxes. "Master Eraqus," Aqua says hesitantly. "Is something the matter?"

Master Eraqus sighs, but doesn't answer her question. "Will you two get Sora and Riku into bed? When you come back I have some news I must tell you." Terra and Aqua comply and carefully pick up Sora and Riku ignoring their half hearted moans of protest, and leave Master Eraqus alone to figure out how to tell them what is going on.

**Zephyr26: The hairball part was my favorite from last chapter. Glad you found it funny.**

**Mexi: Ven made it! Well, he was a little traumatized by the whole thing, but he's fine.**

**MLSoT: Your reviews always crack me up. FYI more cliffhangers are coming just to keep everything suspenseful. :) sry!**

**SnowKawasagi: Haha yeah when Master Eraqus finds out about Aqua and Terra (yes he is going to find out) he's gonna sit them down for a super awkward conversation.**

**Hmmm...I don't really know what else to write in my AN today.**

**I guess I'll just explain a little about what happened at the end of the Pride Lands visit 'cause I didn't explain it at all in the story.**

**Ok! So you know how, in the movie, after Scar tells Simba to run away, he sends the hyenas after him to kill him, but they mess up and let him escape? Well, this was my twist on that. Scar sent the hyenas after Simba to kill him, but they got confused because Simba and Ven have the same fur color (remember that from last chapter?). So they attacked Ven, Terra, and Aqua instead by mistake and that bought time for Simba to escape.**

**That make any sense? no? Well whatever it isn't that important.**

**Yay for another date with Zack!**

**K thats all for now. See you in a couple days!**


	30. I Hate You!

Chapter 30 _I Hate You!_

"Master Eraqus?" Aqua says as she enters the sitting room. Master Eraqus looks up and gives her a small, grave smile.

"Please sit Aqua," Master Eraqus says gesturing to the couch. "Where is Terra?"

Aqua sits down saying. "He had to change. Riku threw up on him when we got upstairs."

"He did? How much jello did he eat?" Master Eraqus says in surprise. Aqua shrugs, not knowing the answer, and Master Eraqus shakes his head. "Can't leave those two alone for even a second."

"Where did they even get the jello?" Terra asks to announce his presence as he enters the sitting room and sits on the couch beside Aqua. "They couldn't have made it themselves."

"No, Mickey helped them make it," Master Eraqus says and Terra and Aqua look at him surprised.

"Mickey was here?" Terra asks.

"Yes. He and Yen Sid stopped by while you were in the Pride Lands," Master Eraqus replies. "Yen Sid brought some troubling news to my attention."

Both Terra and Aqua lean forward now concerned. Master Eraqus sighs and begins to explain. "As you know, when there is too much darkness, and too many heartless, a world will be destroyed." Terra and Aqua nod. "Yen Sid told me today that that is what is happening in Carinol. It is mere days away from being consumed by its own darkness."

Both Aqua and Terra's eyes widen at this news. "Is there anything we can do to stop it?" Aqua asks quickly.

"Yes," Master Eraqus replies. "A world can only be totally destroyed when the heart of the world is consumed by darkness. If we can prevent darkness from reaching the world's heart, Carinol can be saved. To do this we must lock away the heart. Every world has a keyhole which is like the doorway to its heart. If we can find this keyhole and seal it, we can save Carinol from its dark fate."

"So we have to go to Carinol," Terra says slowly. "And when you say we you mean..."

"You, Aqua, and myself," Master Eraqus says finishing Terra's hanging sentence. "Taking Ventus to a world drowning in darkness would be extremely dangerous. Especially since Carinol has already managed to cast a dark shadow on Ventus' heart. No, he cannot be allowed near that place ever again."

"I'm not sure he is going to be willing to stay away once he hears about this," Aqua says. "It is his home world after all. No matter what painful memories he has of the place, he'll still want to return."

"And that is precisely why I am not planning to tell him," Master Eraqus says.

Terra and Aqua exchange a shocked look. They turn back to look at Master Eraqus. "What?!"

...

"You were a cub? That sounds adorable," Zack says with a laugh.

Ven glares at him. "It was annoying as fuck," he replies. "I couldn't do anything 'cause I was so tiny." Zack continues to chuckle and Ven rolls his eyes at him. They are sitting at a small table in the corner of the 7th Heaven in Traverse Town. They had long since finished dinner, and it is getting late. With each passing minute, the crowded bar is getting louder and more boisterous, and Ven and Zack have to talk loudly to hear each other over the din.

"Let's get out of here," Zack says and Ven nods. They both stand, and Ven digs through his pockets, pulling out the munny Master Eraqus had given him. He goes to place it on the table when Zack grabs his wrist. "Don't worry about it."

"You sure?" Ven asks. "It's not my munny. Master Eraqus gave it to me before I left."

"Whenever I eat here I just repay Tifa by helping her out some nights," Zack replies. Ven shrugs and pockets the munny.

"Alright," Ven says. "So what are we going to do now?"

"I got something in mind," Zack says with a smile. "Follow me."

Curious, Ven follows Zack out of the bar and through the first district. In the second district, Zack leads him down the stairs to the empty square and then through a door next to a beautiful fountain. Ven walks through finding himself in a back alley with small rectangular pools of water. "What's back here?" Ven asks.

"You'll see," Zack says cryptically, throwing Ven a smile.

With his curiosity even greater now, Ven follows Zack down the alley. The second pool flows out of a grate on the wall of the alley, and Zack stops there turning to look at Ven. He takes Ven's hand and to Ven's surprise pulls him into the shallow pool. Before Ven can question him, Zack stomps on a red switch at their feet and the grate opens with a creak. Ven looks from the dark opening to Zack with a suspicious expression.

"It's through here," Zack says tugging on Ven's hand. Ven lets him pull him through the opening and they are plunged into darkness. Ven has no clue where they are going and just lets Zack lead him, trusting the hand that is tugging him along. They turn a corner and emerge into a cave of green rock. It's eerie yet captivating, and Ven barely notices as Zack lets go of his hand. He climbs onto the small island of rocks and stares around in wonder.

"Leon and Cloud use this cave to train in." Zack's voice makes Ven turn towards him. Zack is standing next to a mural on the wall of the cave. It is the moon and stars, but when Zack places his hand on it, it glows for a moment before changing to an image of the sun.

"What's that?" Ven asks.

"Leon doesn't like people using his training room unless they're part of the militia so he had Aerith put in a spell to scare out intruders," Zack explains. "Basically, if you don't change the mural this place will fill with water and wash you out." Zack climbs up on the island and moves to stand in front of Ven. With a smile, Zack cups Ven's cheeks and leans in to kiss him. Ven kisses back wrapping his arms around Zack's waist and pulling him closer. They continue to make out, and Zack slides his hands to the back of Ven's head, playing with his hair.

When lack of oxygen forces them to come apart, Ven rests his head comfortably in the nook between Zack's shoulder and neck. Zack idly traces his fingers over Ven's back. "I want to hear all about your adventures as a little lion cub," Zack says softly breaking the silence. He feels Ven stiffen in their embrace. "What is it?" Zack asks concerned.

Ven pulls away with a sigh. He sits, resting his back against the wall of the cave. He motions for Zack to sit next to him and when he does so Ven says, "While we were there, there was an accident and Mufasa, he was the king there, got killed."

"I'm so sorry," Zack says softly. "Did you know him well?"

Ven shakes his head. "I'd spent the day with his son, Simba. When his dad died Simba lay with him, crying, and it was just like-"

Ven stops himself and turns his head away from Zack. Concerned, Zack reaches out and gently turns Ven's chin so they are looking at each other. He can see the tears in Ven's eyes. "You can tell me Ven."

Ven blinks and a tear falls out of his eye. He wipes it away quickly, and speaks in a husky voice. "Seeing Simba cry over his father's body, it-it made me think about Tay," Ven forces out. Another tear falls out, but before Ven can wipe it away, Zack catches it. He slides closer to Ven and pulls him in close. Ven rests his head on Zack's chest feeling Zack's arms wrap tightly around him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zack asks and Ven shakes his head keeping his face buried in Zack's shirt. Zack doesn't press him and they sit holding each other in silence.

"A heartless killed him," Ven says suddenly in a tear stained voice.

"Tay?" Zack asks quietly and feels Ven nod.

"It was my fault," Ven mumbles almost too quietly for Zack to hear him. "I knew it was dangerous for people to be around me. I should have been on my own. If I hadn't let him get so close...If I hadn't been so selfish he would still be alive."

"Ven," Zack says sadly. "You can't blame yourself."

Ven doesn't reply, for a minute and just snuggles closer. "I lay with him, after he died, just like Simba. Calling for him. Wishing for him to come back. I didn't want to be alone."

"Your not alone," Zack says softly, gently petting Ven's hair for a minute before Ven pulls away.

"Sorry," Ven says rubbing his eyes.

"Don't be sorry," Zack says. "You can always talk to me when something has made you upset." Ven nods and yawns. Zack laughs slightly. "Long day? Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

"I'd rather stay here with you," Ven replies kissing Zack lightly. He has to stop and yawn again.

"Alright it is definitely time for you to go to bed," Zack says laughing at Ven's unhappy pout. He gives him a peck on the lips, and succeeds in getting Ven to smile. Zack stands and pulls Ven to his feet. "Goodnight," Zack says kissing Ven's forehead.

"Goodnight Zack," Ven says pulling him into a quick, but passionate kiss. "Thanks for listening. I'll be back soon."

"I'll be waiting," Zack whispers in his ear before Ven pulls away. Ven summons a light corridor, and gives Zack a final smile before walking through it and disappearing.

…

Ven walks back out of the light corridor and finds himself at the bottom of the steps leading up to the castle. He touches his lips lightly remembering his and Zack's goodbye kiss. With a smile he walks up the steps to the front doors. He can see that inside almost all the lights are off so he opens the door and walks in as silently as possible not wanting to wake anyone sleeping inside. As he slowly shuts the door, he hears arguing voices from the sitting room. With quiet footsteps he makes his way to the doorway, but stops short and stays in the shadows hearing what is being said.

"We have to tell him."

"No we can't Aqua. He may not be able to handle it."

"But Master Eraqus, it's his home world he has a right to know."

"If we tell him he will wish to return. You both have seen the pain that place has caused him. The darkness. Going back can only make things worse."

"I still agree with Aqua. He has the right to know."

"Know what?" Ven steps into the sitting room. He has been eavesdropping for long enough. He knows they are talking about him. Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua all jump slightly as he enters suddenly. Ven looks accusingly from to each of them. "Tell me."

Both Aqua and Terra look to Master Eraqus who sighs and unhappily gestures for Ven to take a seat. Ven sits between Terra and Aqua and holds his breath as he waits for Master Eraqus to speak. "Ventus," Master Eraqus says carefully. "Today I learned from Yen Sid that your home world of Carinol is being threatened."

"By what?" Ven asks leaning forward in his seat.

"Darkness," Master Eraqus answers. "Heartless are everywhere, and people are dying. If nothing is done, the darkness will reach the heart of the world, and Carinol will disappear into the realm of darkness."

Ven's face loses some color as he hears this news. "Can we stop it?"

Master Eraqus hesitates. "Yes," he finally says. "But Ventus you must listen to me. I cannot allow you to come with us. It is too dangerous."

"What!" Ven nearly shouts. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks to see Terra give him a warning look.

"I know Terra and Aqua already told you that I asked them to protect you from darkness," Master Eraqus says. "I am doing this to protect you as well. You must not return to Carinol."

"I grew up there," Ven says angrily, and Terra's hand on his shoulder grips him tighter. "I lived in that hell hole for years. Hell, I lived with Keric for nearly six months. I have already proved that I can withstand the darkness of that place. I'll be fine."

"Ventus," Master Eraqus says his patience thinning. "I already said no. You will go to Disney Castle with Sora and Riku tomorrow."

"But that's not-"

"Ventus!" Master Eraqus thunders. "I do not want the darkness of that world to affect you anymore than it already has. If anymore darkness enters your heart, the result could be disastrous."

"What would happen?" Ven demands. Master Eraqus mouth becomes a hard line. Ven snaps and jumps to his feet screaming at Master Eraqus. "Tell me! God! Why can't you just tell me? You're scaring the shit out of me! What the am I going to do that is so bad? For once just answer my questions." Master Eraqus says nothing. Ven groans. "Just give me some fucking answers!"

"This discussion is over Ventus," Master Eraqus says evenly. "You will not be going to Carinol tomorrow and that is the end of it."

"But-"

"No buts! My decision is final."

Ven stares at him feeling his anger grow to dangerous levels. His hands curl into fists. "I hate you!" Ven suddenly screams unable to hold back anymore. "I hate you! I hate you!" He feels Terra and Aqua reach out to him, trying and get him to sit back down, but he just shakes them off. "When I first came here I thought you were the father I never had, but not anymore. All you do is lie to me and keep things from me. You treat me like I'm a bomb set to go off as soon as I'm out of your sight." Ven's chest heaves in anger as he glares at Master Eraqus who regards him sadly. There is a long moment of silence, then Ven whispers in an emotionless voice, "I don't trust you. Not anymore."

With that Ven leaves the room, too angry to stay a second longer. Unfortunately, the anger he feels continues to grow as he runs up the stairs to his room, slamming his door behind him. He wants to scream, to punch something. More than anything he wants to be told what is going on. He's tired of playing along, and pretending there is nothing to worry about. Clearly there is something to worry about, or Master Eraqus wouldn't be so controlling. Ven flops on his bed and groans loudly in anger.

_Hold onto your anger._

Ven jumps back to his feet in shock at the sudden voice in his ear. His keyblade appearing in his hand an instant later as his eyes search the room for the speaker..

_Over here you idiot._

Ven whirls around, but still sees no one.

_Wow. I didn't realize you were that stupid._

The voice laughs coldly and Ven suddenly recognizes it as being inside his head. "Vanitas!"

_You called._

"What the hell? No I didn't," Ven says.

_You gave into your anger. I'm impressed. I don't think Eraqus will forget that little speech of yours anytime soon._

"Leave me alone. I'm not talking to you right now," Ven says lying back down on his bed.

_Then shut up and listen. If you really want to get under the old man's skin then get your ass to Carinol. He can't stop you. _

Ven is silent for a minute, then he asks slowly, "Why do you care?"

_I'm you idiot. I want what you want. I'm just not as spineless as you are._

"What did you just call me?"

_Exactly what you are. _

"Fuck off." Ven rolls over onto his stomach and sighs hearing no response from Vanitas. As much as Ven doesn't want to admit it, Vanitas does have a point. Master Eraqus can't tell him what to do. If he wants to go to Carinol, then he is going to Carinol. As Ven drifts off to sleep he doesn't hear the soft laugh of triumphant from the voice in the dark corners of his mind.

* * *

**This chapter was quite the emotional rollercoaster for Ven. **

**I'm sorry it was a little short, but it is just a lead up to the next 8 or 9 chapters.**

**SnowKawasagi: It'll be in chapter 35 as some much needed comic relief.**

**Mexi: Yeah Mufasa had to die so Ven would have a reason to tell Zack about Tay's death. Sorry this date was short and not as fun as the last one, but a little fluff is better than no fluff.**

**MLSoT: I wanna play Kingdom Hearts X! UGH! Stupid Japanese. I want English! Funfact: I hate jello too.**

**A look ahead:**

**Everything is about to change as Ven's life is turned completely upside down in just three short action packed days. Xehanort's plan is in motion and Ven is about to fall straight into his trap. The entire story so far has been leading up to this, however the story will not end after these three days. Don't worry there is still a lot to go through before we reach the end of the journey. **

**Prepare yourself for the storm that is coming.**


	31. The Deepest Darkness

Chapter 31 _The Deepest Darkness_

Ven is awakened by a knocking on his bedroom door. "What?" He groans softly. The knocking persists, and with another annoyed groan he rolls out of bed and slowly makes his way to the door. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he throws the door open and asks rudely, "What the hell do you want?"

"Well good morning to you too sunshine," Terra replies. He and Aqua are standing outside his door already dressed and with amused smiles. Ven glares back.

"Can we come in?" Aqua asks.

"Whatever," Ven says walking back over to his bed and sitting down. Terra and Aqua follow him in and shut the door behind them. "What time is it?" He asks with a yawn.

"7:30," Aqua replies. "Master Eraqus wants to leave by 8." Ven just grunts and lowers his head to glare at the floor.

"Whatever stupid thing you are thinking about, don't do it," Terra says and Ven raises his eyes in surprise. Terra rolls his eyes. "We know you Ven."

"What Terra is trying to say," Aqua says slapping Terra's arm playfully. "Is we don't want you to do anything rash or dangerous because you are angry at Master Eraqus. Just do what he asks, and let us take care of this."

"Whose side are you on anyways?" Ven asks angrily.

Aqua sighs. "There are no sides Ven."

"Look Ven," Terra says. "I get your whole 'I don't want to be treated like a child' thing, but I just have to point out that you don't know what's going on." Before Ven can snap in retort, Terra continues. "We," he says indicating himself and Aqua. "Don't know what's going on either. Master Eraqus is the only one who seems to know the whole story, so we have to trust him."

"I don't trust him anymore," Ven says quietly echoing his parting words from the night before.

After a pause, Aqua asks, "Do you trust us?" Ven nods. "Then please let us take care of the situation in Carinol."

"It's only one day," Terra adds. "You can survive one day of sitting on the sidelines Ven."

Ven doesn't reply and returns to glaring at the floor. Aqua glances at the clock on his nightstand. "We have to get Sora and Riku up," Aqua says to Ven. "Be downstairs in twenty minutes." She waits, but Ven gives no response. She looks to Terra who gives her a shrug, and they exit Ven's room leaving him to his own thoughts.

…

"Are we going to use gliders or a light corridor?" Aqua asks Master Eraqus as he joins the five apprentices outside.

"Gliders," Master Eraqus replies. "As I said yesterday, using light corridors too often is dangerous. Ventus traveled through them four times yesterday. It will be better to use the gliders."

Ven is purposefully looking away from everyone, glaring at the sky, until he feels a tugging on his sleeve. Looking down, his expression softens seeing Sora smiling up at him. "Can I ride with you?"

Ven smiles slightly back. "Yeah, I have no problem with that."

"Yes!" Sora says before running over to Terra to get his helmet. The older keyblade wielders activate their armor and summon their gliders. Sora runs back over to Ven with his too large helmet bouncing on his shoulders.

Ven crouches down. "Jump on my back little man." Sora happily climbs up onto Ven's back, adjusting himself until he finds a comfortable spot on his hard armor. Sora wraps his arms around Ven's neck and Ven holds his legs securely. He steps onto his glider, spreading his feet apart to find his balance. The others also mount their gliders, Riku sitting in front of Terra on his, and Master Eraqus leads them up and away from the Land of Departure in the direction of Disney Castle.

…

The first thing that strikes Ven is how colorful everything is. The courtyard they are standing in is bright and vibrant with millions of flowers every color of the rainbow creating beautiful patterns between the overly large hedges. Each hedge is trimmed differently and with such care that they are indeed works of art. Ven's foul mood lifts slightly in such a light filled place. Just slightly though.

"Hello, and welcome to Disney Castle." Ven shifts his eyes from the plant life to see a female mouse with a kind smile and a crown atop her head had come up to the group. "I'm Queen Minnie," she says. "You're friends with my husband Mickey. It is an honor to assist you today."

"Thank you ma'am," Master Eraqus replies. "I greatly appreciate you letting my younger apprentices stay at your home." Ven crosses his arms and turns away pointedly.

"Oh, it's my pleasure," Minnie says. "Let me introduce to you our Captain of the Royal Knights Goofy, and our Court Magician Donald. They are Mickey's closest friends."

Ven turns back, and lets his eyes widen in shock seeing the two Minnie is referring to. One is a large dog standing on two legs, and the other is a duck. "Gawrsh, it sure is nice ta meetcha," the dog says giving them all a wave. Ven deduces from the armor the dog is wearing that this must be Goofy.

"Don't worry," the other one, Donald, says. "We'll look after the kiddies."

Ven's face hardens into a scowl at his words, and Master Eraqus notices. "Excuse us," he says to the others, and takes Ven's arm pulling him to the side. Ven wrenches his arm out of Master Eraqus grip, and gives him a glare. Master Eraqus ignores his hostility and speaks to him in a firm voice. "Ventus, the inhabitants of this world have been kind enough to open their doors to us. I do not want you to be rude, or swear, or make trouble for them while you are here."

Ven shrugs, still glaring, and Master Eraqus sighs knowing that is as close as he is going to get to a yes. Returning to the rest of the group with Ven trailing behind, Master Eraqus announces, "We best be off. Time is of the essence." Terra and Aqua nod, and prepare their armor and gliders. "Riku, Sora," Master Eraqus gets the attention of the two boys who had been shyly talking to Goofy and Donald. "Be on your best behavior for Donald and Goofy."

The two young boys nod, and Master Eraqus gives Ven one final look that says 'you too' before donning his armor as well. Ven watches the three fly away on their gliders until they are out of sight. When they are gone, Ven glances at Donald and Goofy who are once again talking to Sora and Riku. Ven smiles slightly to himself. Now it is time for the waiting game. It is a simple plan; he would wait until both his babysitters are distracted, and then slip away.

For a moment, he doubts himself, remembering Terra and Aqua's words of warning, but he shakes himself. He'd show Master Eraqus that he could make his own decisions and keep himself safe from the darkness.

…

Even from space Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua can see how dire the situation is in Carinol. One half of the world is already lost to shadows, consumed by the darkness. Wasting no time, Master Eraqus leads his apprentices to land near the edge of a forest on the side of the world that has yet to be overrun. As they descend, Terra can feel the dark energy hit him like a blast of cold air cutting right through his armor and clothes to reach his bare flesh. He shivers at the feeling, and his glider shivers too.

Confused, Terra looks down at his keyblade glider to see it shutter once more and then disappear suddenly in a flash of light. Still nearly a hundred feet off the ground, Terra finds himself falling through the air, too shocked to even scream. His short flight ends in him slamming into the semi-frozen ground of the cold world, and for a painful moment he lies there unmoving.

Forcing himself to stand, Terra dismisses the armor that had taken most of impact of the hard landing, and checks himself for any injuries he has worse than bruises. Luckily, there are none. He turns to look behind him, seeing Aqua and Master Eraqus getting to their feet as well. Terra hastens to Aqua's side as she dismisses her armor and takes a deep, gasping breath. "Are you okay?" Terra asks concerned.

Aqua nods, but takes several more gasping breaths before answering. "Just-just got the wind knocked out of me," she says still gasping for air. Terra gives her a sympathetic look and takes a step back to give her space to breathe.

He turns to Master Eraqus. "Why did our gliders disappear like that?" Terra asks. "What happened?"

Master Eraqus has a very grim expression on, and seems unwilling to answer Terra's question. "I do not want to worry you," he says. "But it seems that the darkness of this world is interfering with our ability to summon our keyblades of light."

"So," Aqua says having regained her breath. "Are you saying we have no weapons? That we can't summon our keyblades?"

Master Eraqus nods slowly. "It appears to be true." He holds out his hand, and tries to make his keyblade appear, but nothing happens. Sighing he lowers his arm.

"How are we going to lock the keyhole if we don't have keyblades?" Terra asks slowly. "How are we going to get home? A light corridor?"

Master Eraqus thinks and shakes his head. "If there is not enough light for us to summon our keyblades, there isn't enough light to create a light corridor." He glances at Terra and Aqua's faces to see them widen in fear. "Try not to worry," Master Eraqus says quickly. "Even in the deepest darkness there is a light that never goes out. We will find away to save this world and get home."

Terra and Aqua smile at his words, feeling reassured. Their smiles collapse at the sound of a twig snapping behind them. The three whirl around to see a tall man in black armor standing next to a tree less than ten feet away. "No demon weapons to save you now eh?" The man says in a voice as scratchy as sandpaper. "Too bad. For you I mean."

Master Eraqus steps in front of his apprentices falling into a battle stance. "Keyblades or not I suggest you leave us be," he says coldly. "It is foolish to attack when you are so outnumbered."

"Outnumbered am I?" The man replies mockingly. "Check again."

Master Eraqus glares evenly at the arrogant man for another moment before sweeping his eyes around. More men in black armor had come out of the forest to join the now openly smiling man. Terra and Aqua are pressed back to back against him. "Master," Aqua hisses quietly. "There are over thirty of them. Should we fight?"

Master Eraqus thinks hard. They are surely on the wrong side of this battle numbers wise, but these are mere men against keyblade wielders. There is a chance. "Wait for a distraction," Master Eraqus hisses back. "Magic first. Try to stay out of range of their swords."

Without waiting for their agreement, Master Eraqus returns his attention to the still smirking man. "Alright, where is he?" The man demands.

"Where is who?" Master Eraqus replies looking the man straight in the eye, refusing to give any indication of fear.

"The boy. The boy who is supposed to be with you." The man, obviously the leader of the group of soldiers, holds out his hand impatiently to a younger man beside him.

The man beside him quickly digs through a bag and hands the leader a piece of paper. "Here you are Captain Lunt," he says quickly.

Captain Lunt unfolds the paper as he strides over to be right in front of Master Eraqus. "This boy," he says brandishing the paper in front of Master Eraqus' face. Master Eraqus' eyes widen slightly at the picture of Ven staring haughtily back at him. His reaction is all Captain Lunt needs. "Ah, so you do know him. Tell me, where are you hiding him?"

"He is someplace you and your prince can't touch him," Master Eraqus says glaring daggers at the man. "He isn't on this world."

Captain Lunt seems surprised by his words although he tries his best not to show it. Crumbling the picture and throwing it on the ground, Lunt returns to the circle of soldiers around the keyblade wielders. Master Eraqus can hear them muttering to each other.

"-not with them-"

"Keric said-"

"-falling from the sky-"

"-another world-"

Master Eraqus decides this has gone on long enough, and with no distraction on hand, he decides to create his own. With a small jerk of his head, he shifts his eyes from the captain to stare up fixedly at the treetop above him. For a moment, no one notices until Lunt glances at him. Thinking something is up there that Master Eraqus is staring at, Captain Lunt spins around, and his fellow soldiers also shift their eyes off the keyblade wielders to look up at the tree.

"Thundaga!"

"Blizzaga!"

"Firaga!"

From the three in the center of the circle, lightning bolts, shards of ice, and fireballs all shoot out at the distracted soldiers who cry out in pain at the touch of the magic. The magic barrage only takes down a couple of the soldiers however leaving the rest to begin a frenzied fight with the desperate keyblade wielders.

Terra is rushed by three soldiers at once, all with their swords out. He quickly fires off two more blizzard spells which causes one of the men to fall to the ground and another to stumble. Before Terra can send a spell at the remaining soldier, his sword is swinging in a large arc at him. Terra ducks under the blade, and when he straightens back up he is dismayed to see that more comrades of the soldier have joined in the fighting. With eight razor sharp blades pointed at him, Terra takes a step back raising his hands slightly in a gesture of surrender.

The soldiers lower their weapons slightly, seeing that he is in no position to attack them, but they do not see the large ball of energy that suddenly appears above their heads. They do however feel the shock of bolts of lightning shooting through their body from the spell. When the electricity attack stops, the eight collapse in pain as Aqua suddenly appears at Terra's side. "That used the last of my magic," Aqua says quietly.

Terra quickly pulls out a blue bottle of ether from his pocket. "Here," he says handing it to her. She gratefully takes it and downs it as Terra prepares to fight off another soldier that is approaching them from behind. With a yell, the soldier charges Terra brandishing his his sword. Terra bounces lightly on the balls of his feet waiting for the man to get closer, and as the soldier tries to stab him in the chest, Terra spins to the right, letting the blade slice right past him. The soldier stumbles in surprise at his miss, and Terra takes the opportunity to kick his legs out from under him.

With a clatter of armor, the soldier falls hard, but rolls back onto his feet. He ducks just in time to avoid getting his head taken off by a fireball fired by Aqua. Terra moves in close before the soldier can raise his sword again, and punches him in the cheek. The soldier falls once more and this time he stays down. Shaking his now bruised hand, Terra stoops to pick up the fallen soldier's sword. Before he can close his fingers around the grip, something slams him in the back and nearly knocks him on his face.

Before Terra can regain his balance, he is pulled back upright by the armor arm wrapped around his throat. Terra gasps and tries to pull the arm off him, but the grip is like iron. Terra instead reaches over his shoulders, and grabs the soldier holding his from behind by his armor. With a roar of effort, Terra succeeds in throwing the soldier over his head, and rubs his throat as he watches him crash to the forest floor in a heap.

While he had been fighting off that soldier, Aqua had been holding her own against a group of four. In an attempt to overwhelm her with numbers, they all rush her at once, but she calmly shouts out, "Aeroga!"

The soldiers are sent flying by the sudden gust of wind and crash into the trees behind them. Aqua springs after them sending small fireballs at the three that try and get up once more. Satisfied that those four are now down for the count, Aqua turns to see what had happened to Terra, but she is met by a sword at her throat and a bulky soldier sneering at her from under his black helmet. "Hello dolly," he says. "No more of that unholy magic. I don't want to have to ruin a face as pretty as yours."

Aqua glares at him, but stiffens and gulps as he presses a little harder on the sword. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Terra's eyes widen in fear and charge towards her. He is intercepted by two soldiers, and with an angry shout he summons more ice shards to hit the two. Both writhe in pain from the attack, but one manages to raise his sword and deflect some of the shards back at Terra who can't dodge them all. Clutching his side in pain, Terra is jumped on by two more soldiers, and collapses under their combined weight.

Separated from his apprentices, Master Eraqus is on his own fighting wave after wave of soldiers Lunt is sending at him. Each new soldier meets a quick end at the receiving end of a fireball or bolt of lightning. However, this battle is stretching on for too long and even with an immense magical energy reserve built up from years of battle, Master Eraqus knows he is almost spent. Knowing this magic fight will soon turn physical, Master Eraqus uses a spell he has yet to use against the soldiers. With the last of his magical energy, Master Eraqus calls out, "Magnera!"

The soldier that had been approaching him shouts in surprises as his sword is jerked out of his hand and flies hilt first to Master Eraqus who catches it easily and falls into a battle stance. Three soldiers approach him now, more warily than before, but they are stopped by the voice of the commander. "Enough of this," Captain Lunt says stepping forward with a smirk. "This battle is over." Master Eraqus growls at him and takes half a step forward. "If you value their lives you'll surrender now." Master Eraqus freezes at the captains words and glances to the side to see Terra and Aqua bound and gagged, held by several soldiers. Each also had a sharp sword pressed to their throat.

Meeting their eyes, Master Eraqus relaxes out of his battle stance. He stoops slightly and places the sword he had taken on the forest floor before raising his hands in surrender. "Bind him like the others," Lunt commands turning his back on the whole scene. Three soldiers hasten to obey. One picks up the sword at Master Eraqus' feet while the other two pull his hands behind his back painfully and bind them with coarse rope. A disgusting rag is pulled out of someone's bag and stuffed roughly in Master Eraqus' mouth.

With their hands bound behind their backs, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are forced to stumble through the forest by the soldiers. Terra and Aqua move to their Master's side and look to him for guidance. Unable to speak, Master Eraqus gestures slightly with his head in the direction of Captain Lunt who is speaking to another soldier, probably his second in command.

"Drame, take them to the castle," Lunt says. "Hand them over the guards there and return to this spot. The boy shouldn't be far behind them."

"Yes sir," Drame says. He leads half the group of remaining soldiers and the three prisoners onto a road that they had just come to while Captain Lunt and the rest of the soldiers head back into the forest. Walking down the road with the soldiers, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua can only exchange worried glances that say they are all thinking the same thing; Ven is at the center of whatever is going on here.

They round a bend in the road, and suddenly the trees are gone and they are looking across an open plain at the large city sprawled out in a haphazard fashion. Commanding the most attention on the skyline is a large black castle, jutting up to tower threateningly over all the other buildings in the city. "Welcome to Whin," one of the soldier near them says in a sarcastic voice. "I wouldn't expect to enjoy your visit."

The keyblade wielders ignore him and the other rude soldiers as they enter the city. Master Eraqus carefully examines his surroundings knowing Terra and Aqua are doing the same beside him. If they find away to escape, it would be important to know how to find their way out of this dirty city.

He is looking for landmarks, a right at the apartment building that had never been fixed after a fire, a slight left near a large griffieded message "Fuck U", but although he is focused on the buildings, Master Eraqus can't help but notice the people as well. He had heard from Terra and Aqua a description of this dark world, but he had never imagined that it could be as bad as it is.

All the people on the street, it didn't matter if they are in rags or silk, turn their cold eyes to watch the keyblade wielders being paraded past. Master Eraqus finds no sympathy in any of their faces only uncaring or worse, excitement. What they are excited for quickly becomes obvious as they turn down the street where the castle stands at the end. From each lamp post on the street hangs a rotting human head severed cleanly from its body. Suppressing the urge to gulp, Master Eraqus tears his eyes away from the horrific sight to see that they have reached the gate to the castle.

A crowd has gathered to watch them there and as they walked through the gate, a tomato is launched at them from the center of the townspeople. The throw is off target and misses Terra's head by an inch, hitting one of the guards. Drame scowls and holds his hand up to stop the group. He then nods to one of the soldiers who disappears into the crowd. A moment later the shrill scream of a young girl breaks the quiet air. No one in the crowd seems to care as they continue to stare fascinated at the keyblade wielders. The girl continues to scream as the soldier reappears out of the crowd wiping his bloody sword with a dirty rag. He gives Drame a curt nod, and the group is on the move once more. The gate swings shut behind them, and the keyblade wielders exchange horrified looks. They do not have long to think about what they had just witnessed before they are shoved roughly into the castle.

A short dark corridor lit only by flaming torches on the walls every ten feet ends in a immense set of black double doors. Here there is a group of castle guards dressed in red waiting for the group. After an exchange of brief words whispered so the keyblade wielders couldn't hear what is being said, they are handed over to the guards as Drame and the soldiers exit the castle.

"C'mon," one guard says roughly, grabbing Master Eraqus' arm while more guards surround Terra and Aqua. "The king wants to see you." With that, two guards open the huge doors and Master Eraqus is dragged in with Terra and Aqua forced to follow. Inside, a thick blood red velvet carpet is laid over cold grey stones and creates a path to a small dais where a single golden throne sits. Lounging in the throne with one leg draped casually over the side is a teenage boy with dirty blond hair framing his handsome yet cruel face. "The prisoners your majesty."

The boys eyes glimmer with glee as he swings his leg down so he is sitting facing the new comers. Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are dragged forward and forced to stand before the boy who regards them with a superior look. His face hardens in anger after a moment. "Where is he?" He says in a hard voice glaring accusingly at the guard beside Master Eraqus.

"He wasn't with them," the guard replies and the boy's face darkens in anger. "The soldiers went back to the forest to wait for him."

"Find him," the boy snaps at his guard before turning his attention to the prisoners. "I take it you are Veni's friends." Master Eraqus just stares cooly back at him unable to speak. "Ungag them." The guards hasten to obey the command, and once his gag is removed Master Eraqus glances at Terra and Aqua, the look he gives them warns them not to speak. "Well?" The boy demands rudely to Master Eraqus.

"You are making a huge mistake child," Master Eraqus says in a dangerous voice. "Without our help this world will be consumed by the darkness."

To Master Eraqus' surprise, the boy bursts out laughing. "Well I'd hope so otherwise this wouldn't work." He continues to laugh ignoring the confused looks directed at him. When his laughs subside, he sits up straighter suddenly serious. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Prince Keric aren't you?" Aqua says with a hard edge to her voice. Master Eraqus shoots her a look.

"Actually it's King Keric now," Keric says his grey eyes staring piercingly at her. "So has Veni talked about me?"

"Only to tell us what a disgusting, foul, disturbed freak you are," Terra shouts angrily ignoring the intense stare from Master Eraqus telling him to stop talking.

Keric nods. "So he has talked about me. I can't wait till he gets here."

"You're not getting anywhere near him," Master Eraqus says angrily. "Ventus isn't coming here. He is safe, far away from this wretched place."

Keric laughs again. "That's funny old man," Keric says. "But just you wait. Veni will come. He can't resist. He'll be back. He'll come back to me. And we'll escape together before the darkness comes, but you..." Keric trails off as he considers what will happen to them. "Will die."

* * *

**Well, that could have gone better for our heroes. So no keyblades, no light corridors, they are prisoners, and the world is slowly being destroyed by darkness, really not looking good.**

**But at least Ven is safe right? Well...**

**That's for next chapter!**

**The following is in response to MLSoT's review, but EVERYONE should read:**

**So here is how I view what is going on with Ven and Van. Ven has always been half light and half dark, it's just always been the way he is. Leading up to this story, this was not a problem because Ven lived such a dark life that his darkness could be part of him without any problems. However, since Ven came to MEKA his life has been much happier (lighter). Because of this shift, he started to unconsciously try to push the darkness out of his heart for the first time. **

**The darkness however began fighting back for its control of half of Ven's heart and this is when Vanitas was created as a manifestation of Ven's darkness. Currently, Ven and Vanitas are splitting into two separate identities as shown in the last chapter when Vanitas is able to speak in Ven's mind. This split is happening because Ven or the light half of his heart is trying to move in a 'light' direction while Van or the dark half of his heart is trying to move in a 'dark' direction. **

**The extreme emotions Ven displays, the bi-polarness he has sometimes, are a result of the two opposing forces in his mind conflicting. They are fighting over control of Ven so yes it would be possible for Van to gain control of Ven's body (I also hinted at this during Van's first appearance, he kept saying to Ven "Let me out"), and Ven is weakest to Van when he gets angry because anger comes from Van's half of his heart.**

**Whew! That was surprisingly really hard to write. I tried my best, but if you're still confused let me know and I'll try explaining it again.**

** art/One-of-the-Same-376154478 **

**Super cool pic ^^ NOT MINE but still awesome**

**Mexi: Great question! All I'm going to say is there will be some similarities and some differences to the game. That's not a good answer is it? Sorry! That's all I'm going to say for now. :)**

**IT'S STARTING! IT'S STARTING! **

**Day 1 has commenced. **

**Three days, three different ways I'll blow up Ven's life.**

**Don't hate me! I promise I'll put him back together :)**

**Until next time...leave a review!**


	32. Hollow Eyes

Chapter 32 _Hollow Eyes_

"Riku! Get down from there right now!" Donald squawks angrily with his wings on his hips. He stands at the base of one of the towering hedges while Riku sits at the very top.

"Make me!" Riku shouts back. He sticks his tongue out at the duck and crosses his arms. With unintelligible muttering, Donald begins to try and climb the hedge, but struggles greatly due to his short arms.

A little ways away Ven stands in the shadows of another hedge. A ghost of a smile is on his lips. Quietly, Ven moves to the other side of the garden in search of his second babysitter. He finds Goofy sprawled out in the shade of a big tree and Sora in a similar position next to him. He approaches on tiptoe and stops when Goofy snores. At the sound, Sora shifts slightly in his sleep and rolls over towards Goofy muttering. In doing so, his hand falls on one of Goofy's long ears and he tugs hard. Ven cringes, expecting Goofy to wake up, but instead he just snores louder.

With both babysitters preoccupied, Ven sees his chance. Moving a little ways away, Ven activates his armor, and quickly throws his keyblade into the air. It returns to his side as a glider, but before he can hop on it he hears a quiet voice behind him.

"Ven?"

Biting down on a string of curses, Ven turns slowly to see Sora standing a few feet away watching him curiously. "I thought you were sleeping," Ven says.

Sora yawns. "I was, but I woke up. What are you doing? Are you leaving? I thought Master Eraqus wanted us to stay here?"

"Uh...yeah, I'm leaving. I'm going to join Master Eraqus and the others. Master Eraqus asked me to," Ven lies quickly.

"Oh," Sora says and yawns again.

Ven can't help but feel a twinge of regret for lying to Sora. However, he has to do this so he places an armored hand on Sora's shoulder and leads him back to Goofy. "Go back to your nap," Ven says and Sora complies lying down once more. "I'll be back soon." With that, Ven returns to his glider and hops on. Looking back, he sees Sora sitting up and watching him. Sora gives him a wave, and for a moment Ven doubts himself. Shaking that off however, Ven readies himself and shoots off into space.

…

Carinol is easy enough to spot from space. Over half the world is lost in darkness, and as Ven approaches he can feel it in a cool chill that makes him shiver. Not really sure where Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua would have gone, he picks a forest on the side of the world yet to be taken over hoping that no one will be there to see him land.

Under him, his glider shakes slightly. Immediately he knows something is wrong, but before he can pull away from the cold world, his glider vanishes from under him in a flash of light. With a shout of shock, Ven begins to plummet towards the ground.

Slamming into the forest floor, Ven first groans and curls up slightly. When the immediate pain fades, Ven pushes himself onto his hands and knees looking around at the empty forest he had crash landed in. He slowly pushes himself up onto his feet, letting his armor disappear and checking himself for injuries. His armor must have taken the brunt of the impact because he is sore and nothing more.

"Why the hell did that happen?" Ven whispers to himself looking back up at the sky that is dark even though it is the middle of the day. "It just...disappeared." Now worried, he holds his hand out and tries to summon his keyblade. Nothing happens. "Shit," Ven says.

"You said it." Ven spins on his heels to face the speaker. A man in black armor with an arrogant smile had come out of the trees with over ten others behind him. Ven recognizes them instantly as Carinol soldiers. They serve the royal family.

"Who are you?" Ven says backing away as the soldiers advance towards him.

"Captain Lunt," the man replies with a sneer. "Now Ventus, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"How do you know my name?" Ven keeps backing up, but his back bumps a tree trunk. He presses against it as Lunt moves closer.

"How do you think?" Captain replies now right in front of Ven, crowding him.

Ven's eyes widen in fear and he shouts, "Fire!" A fireball shoots out of his hand, hitting Lunt and knocking him back several steps. Ven at once turns and runs from the soldiers heading blindly through the forest.

"Follow him!" He hears Captain Lunt shout angrily and there is the unmistakable sound of armor clanking from the soldiers running after him. Trees flash past Ven, and it is all he can do to avoid tripping over uneven roots on the ground. The sound of the soldiers is getting closer and closer. Suddenly, Ven feels a hand trying to grab the back of his shirt.

"Blizzard!" He shouts pointing behind him, and sends a blast of ice that catches the soldier right behind him right in the face. He tumbles to the ground, tripping up his comrades behind him. Ven turns back forward, and continues to sprint through the trees. He has no idea where he is going and everything looks the same, but he can't stop.

The sounds of pursuit are fading and Ven lets out a sigh of relief. All of a sudden he bursts out of the trees and onto a dirt road. He skids to a stop, panting, and looks up and down the road for any landmarks that would tell him where in Carinol he is. There is nothing in sight so he picks a direction and breaks into a run once more.

The road curves around the forest and as he rounds a corner he finds himself facing another group of soldiers who look equally surprised to see him. He tries to turn and run, but before he can take more than two steps someone much larger than him crashes into him from behind and he is sent face first into the ground.

Still unable to see his attacker, Ven struggles, but is finds it impossible to get out from under the bulk holding him down. His hands are roughly grabbed, and no amount of struggling on his part keeps them from behind tied tightly. After the knots are checked, the man who had tackled him gets off and pulls him to his feet. "Bring him here."

Ven is spun around and forced to march over to one of the soldiers, a first lieutenant by the looks of the lines on his helmet. The first lieutenant smirks at Ven who glowers back, but before either of them can speak the soldiers that had been chasing Ven originally burst out of the forest. Captain Lunt roughly pushes his men to aside as he makes his way to Ven and the first lieutenant. "I see you have the boy, Drame," Captain Lunt says addressing the first lieutenant.

"Yes. He was running down the road," Drame replies. "Did he evade you?"

Captain Lunt grunts in reply rounding on Ven to scowl at him. "Not a mark on him. I wouldn't have been so lenient if I had caught him."

"By all means," Drame says moving out of the way and gesturing for his soldiers to do the same. Ven stands with his hands tied behind his back in the middle of the circle of soldiers facing Lunt who is glaring at him with his fists clenched.

"Just remember you chose the hard way," Lunt says before winding up and punching Ven hard in the cheek. Ven is sent flying to the ground landing hard on his hip as he is unable to brace himself with his hands.

"Ugh," Ven groans trying not to show how much pain he is in. It would only give Lunt satisfaction. His entire face is pulsing in pain, but looks up from the ground to glare at Lunt.

"Get up," Lunt commands, but Ven doesn't move. "I said get up!" Lunt reaches down and grabs a fist full of Ven's shirt. He pulls him up, nearly lifting him into the air. Without giving Ven time to prepare himself, Lunt punches him again, this time in the gut.

Ven falls again without a sound, but he can't keep the grimace of pain off his face. Once again on the ground, he tries to sit up, but he is too slow. Lunt's booted foot slams into his side and Ven screams in pain.

Satisfied, Captain Lunt turns his back on Ven and leaves the soldiers to drag him to his feet. Having taken his beating for running off, Ven finally finds his voice. "Let me go!" he shouts trying to pull away. Lunt stops and turns back to regard him. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

Lunt turns his back to Ven once more. "That is no concern of mine. King Keric ordered your capture and I have delivered. I will be greatly rewarded for doing so."

"You fucking bastard!" Ven screams after him, but the man doesn't even flinch. "You coward! Taking orders from a kid!"

Still he gets no rise from Lunt, and he is dragged forward down the road. A turn in the road brings them to a place Ven wishes he could forget. Whin is their destination and at the center is the terrible black castle he had fought so hard to escape. Ven uses every foul word he knows in an attempt to bring the soldiers to a halt, but no curse words or insults could stop the soldiers as they march him into the city and to his tormentor.

...

Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are now standing off to one side of Keric's throne, and the boy king is sitting and gazing at them with an uncomfortable intensity. The room is silent until Keric decides he is bored with the quiet and tries to strike up a conversation.

"Tell me about Veni," he says to the keyblade wielders. "Has he changed? Has he grown? I haven't seen him in such a long time." No one replies, but if looks could kill Keric would have died three times over. Keric ignores their hostility, and continues to speak regardless of their lack of response. "He was so stubborn when I first met him," Keric says thoughtfully. "Always talking back, always trying to run off. I quickly made him realize that I was the one in charge. He was much more submissive after that."

"Shut up," Terra growls unable to hold back any longer. "Don't talk about him like that."

"Or what?" Keric says mockingly. "What are you going to do about?" Terra growls again and strains against his bindings, but they still hold. He tries to make a move towards Keric, but the guards standing behind the keyblade wielders hold him back easily.

Keric settles back in his throne with a smirk. "I kind of missed him fighting back," he says. "But then he went and ran away. So tell me, has he gotten his spirit back? Am I going to have to break him again?"

Terra opens his mouth once more to tell Keric off, but Master Eraqus beats him to it. "Ventus will never fall into the hands of the likes of you again," Master Eraqus says with hatred in every syllable. "He is safe, far away on another world. Far out of your reach."

"So you say," Keric replies with a shrug. "I know him though. He won't be able to resist coming back."

Keric then turns away from the keyblade wielders signifying the conversation is over. All is quiet in the throne room for several minutes, then a shouting voice from the corridor outside the room breaks the silence. It's muffled by the thick door, but the words are still audible.

"Let go of me you fucking bastards! I haven't done a fucking thing wrong! When my friends get here they are going to whip your ass! Ow! Son of a bitch! This is bullshit! Let me go!"

Terra's eyes widen and he turns to share a frightful look with Aqua, but her eyes are glued to the king, staring with horror as he rises eagerly from his throne at the sound of shouts. "It seems our newest guest has arrived at the castle," King Keric says gleefully rubbing his hands together. "I told you he would come back to me. Bring him in."

The guards by the doors of the throne room at once hasten to obey their king. As the doors are thrown open, the young king takes half a step forward his mouth twisting in an unpleasant smile. Through the doors come two large guards wrestling with their much smaller charge. The shouts continue, but the view of the one shouting is blocked by the burly guards' backs.

"Fight like a man you fucking cowards! I'll knock you both on your asses! Let me go!"

Now inside the throne room, the guards seem only too happy to oblige. They throw him on the ground towards the king. "No, Ventus," Master Eraqus says quietly and in a broken voice so only Terra and Aqua can hear him.

Ven lands hard on his knees unable to cushion his fall with his hands that are still tied together. "Bastards," Ven curses one last time at his captors as he gets to his feet. The first thing he notices as he raises his head is his friends, Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus. They stare at him with stricken expressions. "Guys!" He shouts to them, surprised and a little concerned seeing that their hands are bound like his own. He makes to move to them when a horribly familiar voice reaches his ears.

"Hello Veni."

Terra can see Ven's eyes widen in shock and fear as he turns slowly to face King Keric who is eyeing him like a prize he had just won. "Long time, no see."

Ven stares at Keric, frozen for a moment, and then with a look like a cornered wild animal he tries to bolt back out the door he had come. Unfortunately, the guards that had brought him here haven't left and he crashes right into them. Ven quickly scrambles back to his feet and tries to push past them. However, he is stopped as one of them kicks his legs out from under him and he falls hard to the ground once more. The other pins him down, crushing him with his large bulk. With the sudden weight on his chest, Ven gasps for breath struggling futilely to get up.

"Hey get off him!" Terra yells angrily straining against the guards holding him back that keep him from coming to Ven's aid.

"I agree. Belno let him up and bring him here," King Keric says to the guard on top of Ven.

The guard quickly gets up and pulls Ven roughly to his feet. Ven tries to shrink away from the King as he approaches and digs his heels into the carpet in a vain attempt to stop the guard from dragging him forward. With all his struggling, the guard Belno is still able to force him to stand before the king and holds his arm in a tight grip to keep him there.

"Let him go Belno," King Keric says staring with satisfaction into Ven's scared eyes. "And take off that rope. He won't run again, right Veni?"

Ven gives no response, but doesn't move as the guard releases him and unties the rope around his wrists. King Keric stares at Ven like he is slightly amused with his head tilted slightly to the side. "Its been months Veni. Why didn't you come back? I had to send my guards after you."

As he says this, the young king reaches out to stroke the swollen bruise on the left side of Ven's face left from Captain Lunt's assault. At his touch, Ven jerks his head away and without hesitation King Keric slaps him hard across the face. The sound echoes through the silent room as Ven nearly falls over. He can hear the protests of his friends, but there is nothing they can do. Hunched over, Ven feels a hand grab him roughly by his spiky hair and pull his head back up.

He gasps in pain and fear as he finds himself face to face with Keric. They are so close their noses are touching. Keric twists his hand and Ven gasps again as pain radiates through his scalp. Keric smiles twistedly. "I've missed you Veni. Have you missed me? Tell me you missed me."

Ven doesn't say anything, keeping his mouth shut tight in a thin line. Keric sighs and gestures to the guards standing behind the three other keyblade wielders. The guards nod and pull their swords out, placing them to Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua's necks.

"Wait! Wait!" Ven says quickly and Keric holds up his hand to the guards turning back to Ven. "I...I missed you too," Ven says quietly in a defeated voice. He glances to his friends to see with relief that the swords at their necks have been lowered.

For a moment, Keric smiles cruelly at him, but then his face clouds over. "I did everything for you Veni," Keric says angrily pulling harder on Ven's hair forcing him to gasp in pain again. "I saved your life. I gave you a home. But you ran away. You ran away without so much as a goodbye. After all I did for you, you acted like it was nothing, like it was free. Well I'm going to tell you now it wasn't free. You owe me everything. Your life belongs to me."

Keric then throws Ven by his hair against the wall behind him, next to his throne. Before he can recover, Keric has his hand on Ven's throat and his body pressed against Ven. "Now, tell me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Keric says pushing on Ven throat. Ven struggles against Keric's weight, trying to push him off but to no avail. He gasps, scratching at the hand over his throat. Keric just smiles and, ignoring the threats and begging the other keyblade wielders are yelling at him, he speaks again, leaning in closer and letting his lips brush Ven's ear. "Tell me why."

"You...still...want...me..." Ven forces out as his face begins to turn blue. Keric pulls back and regards him for a moment before leaning in close again. He retracts his hand, but keeps Ven upright by immediately giving him a rough kiss. He pulls back and lets Ven fall in a heap to the floor. Leaving him coughing, Keric turns to face the rest of the people in the room. He grins at the stunned faces of Ven's friends still held back by his guards.

"Get them out of my sight," Keric says with a wave to his guards. They at once obey dragging Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus away against their wills.

All three of them are yelling at Keric, but Terra's voice is the loudest. "If you touch one hair on his head I am going to kill you!" He shouts. "I swear I will!"

Aqua is hysterical and nearly breaks away from the guards as the others are taken out of the room. More guards come to assist, but as they force her out she screams one last time. "Ven! Ven!" He looks up at her just as she is dragged out. His blue eyes are dead. Hollow. Like he knows what is coming and has accepted his fate. All his fight is gone, and Aqua is forced out, leaving him there alone with Keric and his stormy grey eyes full of malice.

* * *

**TheXBlade: That's a really interesting idea. Hmmm... worlds are supposed to be a balance of light and dark and if there is too much darkness the world falls to darkness so there is no reason a world couldn't go the other way and fall to light. However, I also think it depends on how light is viewed. If light and dark are merely elements and are not inherently good nor bad, then a world could be destroyed by light, but if light is seen as a force of good and darkness a force of evil then light wouldn't be able destroy a world because that would be an evil act. In other words I have no freaking clue! But you got me thinking :)**

**Mexi: Glad the explanation was good. Maybe I should have put it in before last chapter, but whatever! **

**MLSoT: Please don't die! And sorry, no Axel and Roxas to save the day. **

**Vennnnn! What the hell? Why couldn't you just listen to Master Eraqus for once?**

**Grrr Keric. Why are you so evil? Oh yeah, it's cuz I made you that way...**

**Here's a quick recap of Ven and Keric's backstory in case you've forgotten:**

**Ven got arrested for the massacre in Whin because they believed he had summoned the heartless. He was awaiting execution when Keric convinced his father to let him live and keep him as a friend for Keric. Ven lived in the castle for about 6 months suffering through Keric's abuse before he finally got away.**

**If I get lots of reviews I'll update super fast, so give me your thoughts, opinions, hysterics, and predictions. Reviews=Updates. Got it memorized?**


	33. A Surprising Savior

***I feel I need to warn you that this chapter is pretty violent, but it ends semi-happily I swear!***

Chapter 33 _A Surprising Savior_

Keric marches Ven through the hallways of the castle with a hand gripping the back of his neck. They come to the double doors Ven knows from past experience lead to Keric's small suite, and Keric throws open the doors before shoving Ven inside. Ven turns to face Keric with gulp as the king slams the doors shut, cutting the two of them off from everyone else.

Ven tries to keep his fear off his face, but his eyes must have portrayed his feelings because Keric says, "Don't look so worried Veni. It's just me." Saying this Keric strokes Ven's face and he suppresses the urge to shudder at his cold touch. "It's been too long since I've been able to touch you Veni," Keric whispers trailing his fingers down Ven's chest and causing him to stiffen. "You have lot to make up to me."

With that, Keric shoves Ven against the nearest wall, and presses himself against him. Ven can't move with Keric's mouth pressed hungrily against his own, his hands all over Ven's body, and one knee pressed hard against Ven's crotch. Keric forces Ven's mouth open and begins to make out with him, but Ven refuses to kiss back. "Oh c'mon Ven," Keric says softly. "You know you want to kiss me."

Keric returns to kissing Ven forcefully. The anger and fear in Ven grows as Keric's hands get more daring, and Ven bites down hard on Keric's bottom lip, drawing blood and causing Keric to shout in pain. Ven shoves Keric off him hard and tries to run for the door. Just as he reaches for the doorknob, Keric slams into him from behind, and pins him face first against the still closed doors.

"You know better than that Veni," Keric growls in his ear, but Ven doesn't listen and shoves Keric off him again. Again he reaches for the doorknob, but again Keric stops him grabbing him by the collar of his jacket, and throwing him backwards onto the ground. On his back, Ven tries to get up, but Keric sits on his stomaching pinning him down. In a quick movement, Keric grabs Ven's shoulders and lifts him slightly before slamming him down with enough force to make Ven see stars. For a moment, Ven hovers on the edge of consciousness, fighting to stay awake. He succeeds and as everything comes back into focus he realizes his jacket has been ripped off and Keric is in the process of doing the same with his shirt.

"No!" Ven shouts in protest trying to stop Keric, but in the ensuing struggle, Keric succeeds in removing Ven's shirt. Throwing it across the room, Keric grabs Ven's flailing arms and pins them over his head with one hand. Both of them are breathing hard and find themselves in a staring contest. Ven glares at Keric and Keric stares back at him, his eyes gleaming with mirth.

"You're so sexy when you try to look tough," Keric says dragging his fingers down Ven's bare torso. His sharp nails draw blood, and Ven flinches slightly. He continues to draw meaningless designs on Ven's chest occasionally scratching him as he speaks. "I've got it all figured out Veni," Keric says. "I found a way for us to be together forever. I met a man with a plan to take all the worlds over with darkness. He said I could share in his power along with you. It would be you and me, side by side. Doesn't that sound incredible?" Keric leans down so he is mere inches from Ven's face.

Ven decides to try a new approach. "Yeah," Ven breathes out with a small smile, and Keric's eyes widen in happiness. "That-that's what I've always wanted." Keric smiles hugely, and kisses Ven passionately. Ven kisses back, but keeps his eyes wide open and burning with hatred. Keric gets lost in the kiss and releases Ven's hands. Ven seizes the moment and suddenly uses all his strength to throw Keric off him.

Ven scrambles to his feet, but before he can take a step an arm wraps around his neck, cutting of his air. "I'll make you love me," Keric growls in his ear as Ven gasps. "I don't care what I have to do, you will love me or I'll have to kill you."

With that, Keric loosens his grip so Ven can breathe again, but drags Ven across the front room of his suite and into his bedroom. Ven struggles with renewed desperation, but Keric is still able to throw him down on the bed. Keric tries to get on top of Ven again, but Ven isn't about to let that happen. "I'll never love you!" Ven shouts as he punches Keric in the stomach.

As Keric doubles over, Ven jumps off the bed, and turns to face Keric as he straightens up. With murder in his eyes, Keric lunges at him. Ven jumps back swing his fists wildly, and feeling one connect solidly with Keric's face. Ven doesn't have long to feel the thrill of his victory though as Keric responds immediately by punching Ven in the nose.

The force of the blow knocks Ven back and he falls on his back on the bed once more. He instinctively grabs at his aching nose feeling the blood flowing freely out of it. Before Ven knows what's happening, Keric is straddling him once more and his hands are around Ven's throat. Ven tries to suck in air, but finds he can't. Gaping like a fish out of water, Ven reaching up and pushes on Keric's face trying to get him off, but he only succeeds in wiping some of the blood on his hands off onto Keric.

His chest is hurting; Ven recognizes this feeling in terror. He had felt like this underwater in Atlantica just before he had fallen unconscious. Seeing Keric's face split into a smile at Ven's suffering unleashes a fury in Ven he hadn't known he was capable of. His anger is literally burning through his veins and he tries to fight off Keric with renewed intensity. However, it still isn't enough. The edges of his vision start to turn black, and his arms grow weaker, falling back onto the bed.

_Let me out!_

Vanitas' voice is urgent.

_He's going to kill us idiot! You need me!_

Ven feels a new pressure in his head, it's like a headache, but it's trying to overwhelm him, trying to take him over. Ven resists.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

Vanitas snarls.

_He's going to kill us. He'll kill those stupid friends of yours. Let me out! Give into your anger! I can save us!_

Ven struggles against both Keric and Vanitas for another moment, but he realizes one of them is going to have to win. Barely conscious, Ven gives up and surrenders control to Vanitas.

Ven's half closed eyes suddenly shoot open, and Keric starts, surprised to see glowing yellow orbs instead of Ven's normal blue. Ven's arm reaches out and in it appears a keyblade. Keric jumps of Ven suddenly staring in shock at the weapon. He watches as Ven sits up breathing hard with the large black and red keyblade clutched tightly in his hand and his yellow eyes glaring into Keric's.

With an oath, Keric turns and opens a drawer in his night stand. Inside, his fingers scramble until they close around the hilt of a long dagger. He spins around, but as he does he finds Ven right behind him swinging the huge keyblade down at his head. Keric's whole face erupts in pain as he falls to the ground clutching at the long cut that had been left down the side of his face. Ven easily kicks the dagger out of his hand, and Keric looks up at him. For once it is Keric with the fearful expression and Ven with the smirk.

Ven raises the keyblade to Keric's throat watching with satisfaction as his tormentor gulps and tries to pull away. Suddenly, his eyes flash back to their normal blue, just for a second, and when they revert to yellow, Ven removes the keyblade from Keric's neck. Keric looks at him with relief, but not for long as Ven swings his keyblade hard and hits Keric over the head with the blunt side knocking him to the ground unconscious.

With a final smirk at his handy work, Ven runs out of the bedroom and out of the suite shutting the double doors behind him. He stops and turns back with his keyblade raised. A beam of dark energy shoots out of the tip and hits the door. The click of a lock sliding into place is soft, and satisfied Ven turns to run down the corridor.

He only takes a couple steps however when he stumbles to a stop and holds on to the wall for support. He gasps in pain and screws up his eyes tight as an intense headache hits him. He clutches his head briefly as the blinding pain subsides as quickly as it had come and he opens his eyes once more.

His blue eyes look up and down the corridor in confusion and then down at the black and red keyblade still in his hand. He raises it to study it more carefully for a moment. With a final glance up and down the corridor, he sprints off in the direction of the dungeon cells where he prays he will find Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua before it is too late.

…

In the underground maze of cells, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua are crowded into a single small box of a room. It is cut straight out of bed rock with a barred door that had been slammed shut behind them after the guards had tossed them in. It had taken them a little while, but they had managed to remove each other's bindings. As soon as Terra's hands had been freed, he had taken to pacing the tiny cell with an enraged expression.

"We need to get out of here!" Terra shouts slamming his hands against the gated door of the cell the three of them are in. "That bastard has Ven!"

"Language Terra," Master Eraqus says quietly. "We must keep our heads and think this through."

"Ven doesn't have time for us to think! He needs us now!" Terra says shaking the bars of the door hoping to tear it open with brute strength.

Aqua walks over to Terra and lays a hand softly on his shoulder. After a moment his shoulders droop and he takes a step back from the barred door. "I...I don't like being helpless," Terra whispers. "Ven needs us and can we do anything? No, because we are stuck in this goddamn cell."

Aqua reaches up and strokes his cheek, surprising Terra. Master Eraqus is watching them, but Aqua has either forgotten about him or doesn't care anymore. "Let me try," Aqua says. "I have regained some magic. Maybe..." She trails off but she sets her face in a hard scowl. Terra backs away to the far side of the tiny cell where he stands with Master Eraqus while Aqua prepares herself.

"Magnega," Aqua calls and a vortex appears outside the cell drawing the metal door towards it's core. At first it appears to be working. The door creaks and pulls at the hinges keeping it in place, but then without warning a bolt of lightning jumps out of the door and hits Aqua in the chest. Shocked Aqua loses hold of her magic and drops to the ground holding her hand over her heart.

"Aqua!" Terra and Master Eraqus both shout in concern and hurry to her side. Grimacing she sits up with Terra's help.

"What-" She tries to say.

"The door must be enchanted against destroying it," Master Eraqus says in a bitter voice gently helping Aqua to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Aqua nods, but then her eyes fill with tears. "How are we going to get out of here?"

Master Eraqus has no answer. He hangs his head and walks to the door. Peering through the bars he tries to see down the dungeon corridor.

Terra wraps his arm around Aqua's waist and she curls against his chest with her eyes closed. "Oh Terra, what are we going to do?" She mumbles. "Ven is out there with that evil boy. It was such a bad idea to come here. This is all our fault."

"Shh Aqua," Terra says rubbing her back. "Ven is strong. He'll be alright." Terra tries to sound confident, but inside worry is gnawing away at him. "That bastard will get what's coming to him when I get out of here."

Master Eraqus suddenly turns to them and Aqua pulls away from Terra slowly, but lets him keep his arm around her waist. "Someone's coming," Master Eraqus says softly. They creep to the bars to try and see down the badly lit corridor. They can't see anyone, but the sound of hurried footsteps gets louder and louder. Whoever is coming is in a big hurry.

Suddenly the footsteps reach the small glow of the lantern hung on the wall near their cell. "Ven!" The three call in undisguised relief as he rushes to their cell.

"Guys..." he says breathlessly.

Ven tries to catch his breath while the others take in with horror his appearance. Ven's hair is disheveled and what looks like blood is staining his light hair. The right side of his face is covered by a splotchy bruise that seems to be darkening even as they stare. A thick line of blood runs down his face out of his left nostril, and hand shaped bruises are just forming on his throat. His shirt is missing and bleeding scratch marks are all over his torso and shoulders. He is bent over slightly holding his side in pain with one hand. In his other hand is a keyblade none of them have ever seen before.

"Ven..." Aqua says reaching through the bars to stroke the uninjured side of his face. "What did he do to you?"

Ven looks down and pulls away from her touch. "We don't have time for that," he says avoiding looking at them by glancing up and down the corridor. "I've got to get you guys out of here. Do you know where the key is?"

"No," Master Eraqus says. "Where did that keyblade come from?" Gesturing at the bulky red and black keyblade Ven is holding. It's wrapped in a chain and has what appears to be eyes on both the blade and hilt.

Ven just shakes his head. "I don't know. It just appeared."

"Try and unlock the door with it," Master Eraqus says.

"How do I do that?" Ven asks having never used his keyblade to do such a thing.

"Point it at the lock," Master Eraqus instructs. "Now close your eyes." Ventus holds the strange keyblade with both hands and closes his eyes as told. "Good," Master Eraqus says in a patient voice that he has developed over years of being a teacher. "Think about the light you have in your heart. Think about that light flowing out of your keyblade and the door opening."

Ven takes a deep breath and the tip of his keyblade begins to glow. The light grows stronger and stronger, but then,

"Oh no you don't!"

Keric comes running into view and tackles Ven to the ground. Ven loses his concentration and the light on the tip of his keyblade blinks out. Keric pulls Ven to his feet and slams him against the wall across from the cell holding the keyblade wielders with a growl. As his arm hits the wall, Ven loses his grip on his strange keyblade and it falls the ground vanishing a second later.

"Ventus! How dare you!" Keric yells into Ven's face. "You worthless son of a bitch!" Still pressing Ven against the wall with one hand he pulls the other back and punches Ven hard in the stomach.

Terra can hear all the breath leave Ven's body. Ven would have crumpled to the ground, but Keric is still holding him up. As the young king winds up for another punch, Terra shouts at him, "Stop it you bastard!"

Keric, whose face has a long gash which is bleeding profusely, pauses and turns for a moment to sneer at Terra. "Oh shut up. I'm just teaching him a lesson about respect." Keric turns back to Ven and leans close whispering in his ear. "I can't have you running off again Veni. You're going to mine forever." He kisses Ven lightly on his temple.

"No."

"What did you say Ventus!"

"No!" Ven shouts. "I'm not yours! You're not going to hurt me anymore!"

"Don't talk to me like that!" Keric snarls pulling away from Ven to see that he has his eyes shut tight. A light in the corner of his vision catches his attention. Ven's keyblade has reappeared in his hand and is glowing once more. As Keric's eyes widen, a beam of light shoots out of the tip.

"What the-"

That is all Keric could get out before strong hands grab him from behind. He is pulled away from Ven and slammed face first into the stone wall.

"That is the last time you'll touch him," Terra growls in his ear pressing Keric's face against the wall. Terra then grabs Keric by the back of his shirt and pulls him away from the wall. He slams the king back and smiles at the satisfying clunk of head hitting stone. Keric falls to the ground holding his head in pain.

Terra looks back at Ven who is sitting with his back resting against the wall; the strange keyblade is gone. Aqua and Master Eraqus crouch on either side of him talking in soothing voices as they wave their hands over his injuries. The green curing light falls on the cuts and bruises and they at once begin to heal.

"Ugh..."

Keric is trying to push himself to his feet, but he only makes it to his hands and knees before Terra kicks him in the stomach. He falls back to the ground without a sound and rolls over onto his back. Terra stares down at the boy king with hatred coursing through his veins. No one hurts his friends. No one. Terra raises his foot to kick Keric again.

"Wait Terra!"

Ven is on his feet again and he stumbles forward grabbing Terra's arm. Terra stops and turns to him surprised. "Don't," Ven says. "Don't descend to his level."

After a pause, Terra nods and takes a step back. Ven steps forward and crouches next to his tormentor. "Veni...Veni..." Keric says softly and laughs cruelly. "I guess you really do love me."

"Let it go Keric," Ven replies. "At one point, I may have thought I loved you. You did save my life after all. Back then I thought you were my hero, but look at the way you've treated me and my friends. That's not love. Months ago I ran away from you because I was scared. Today...today I'm leaving because I'm stronger." With that, Ven gets up and the others turn walking away from Keric's crumpled form.

"I won't let you leave!"

Ven turns back to see Keric on his feet with a dagger in his hand. Ven can almost see the darkness coming off the king as he throws the dagger end over end at Ven. He freezes watching it come closer and closer, filling his vision. His mind is blank.

"Ventus!"

Master Eraqus' shout is going to be the last thing he ever hears and Ven closes his eyes waiting for the pain to hit him. But it doesn't.

He cracks open his eyes and blinks surprised to see the dagger lying on the ground and a light shield fading away in front of him. Terra and Aqua are suddenly on either side of him holding him tight and asking if he is alright.

Master Eraqus walks in front of them and Ven peers around him to see Keric now holding on to the wall for support with a look of crazed fury in his eyes.

"How dare you attack my son with his back turned you...bastard!" Master Eraqus yells and then points at Keric. "Thundaga!" The bolt of electricity shoots through Keric and with a small cry of pain he collapses unconscious to the ground.

Master Eraqus stands breathing heavily staring down at the evil boy. Suddenly he feels something crash into him from behind and twists around to see it's Ven hugging him tightly. Master Eraqus turns and wraps his arms around the boy. He can feel Ven shaking and hugs him even tighter. Terra and Aqua join in and, with Master Eraqus, they form a circle of protection and love around Ven.

When Ven's tremors cease, Master Eraqus pulls away and so do Aqua and Terra. Ven wraps his arms around himself and sniffles quietly keeping his eyes downcast. Master Eraqus shrugs off his robe and places it around Ven's bare shoulders. The robe drags on the ground as it is too big for Ven, but he wraps it tightly around himself. Ven looks up at Master Eraqus with his eyes filled with tears and Eraqus wipes away one that falls down his cheek.

"Let's go home Ventus."

He puts his arm around the boy's shoulder and leads him away from the unconscious king on the floor without a look back. Terra feels Aqua slip her hand into his and he interlocks his fingers with hers. Together they follow Master Eraqus and Ven down the corridor and out of the dungeon.

* * *

**Just a word of warning:**

**You know you're fucked when Eraqus swears. I guess Ven's potty mouth has been wearing off on his refined master!**

**I don't know about you people but my heart was racing the entire time I wrote that and I knew how it was going to end!**

**Surprised by Vanitas' appearance? He saved Ven! See like I said semi-happy ending right? … I mean … no one died … that's pretty happy.**

**I promised a fast update if I got lots of reviews and I got 4 so it only took one day for me to update! I'd say that's fast. (FYI I didn't actually write this in only a day. I've had it written since like this story started and I finally got to post it!)**

**Xehanorto: Luckily Ven got away before Xehanort could make his entrance. So what will Xehanort do when he finds out Keric let Ven escape? That's for next chapter!**

**Zephyr26: It would have been hilarious to have Sora and Riku save the day, but I'd already given the job to Vanitas when I saw your review.**

**Mexi: I think you might have misunderstood, when I said three days I meant three days in the story which means we are still only on day 1. It's not the universe that enjoys making Ven suffer it's me! Mwahahaha! *sobs* I'm so sorry Ven!**

**MLSoT: Oh Zack... I bet Ven wished Zack would just appear out of nowhere and rescue him from Keric, but instead he got Vanitas. Your idea (and by that I'm guessing you meant your idea of Keric coming to Traverse Town, tormenting Zack and Ven, and then Zack defending Ven) is very similar to a scene I'm planning with Vanitas much later on in the story. So it is similar in the event just with a different evil guy. **

**Review with your fav part. Which was the best moment? Vanitas taking control? Ven telling Keric 'I'm not yours!'? Master Eraqus protecting Ven? Or something else? I'm curious.**


	34. Void Gear

Chapter 34 _Void Gear_

Ven silently holds up a hand and Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua stop behind him, following his lead by pressing themselves against the wall. Ven slowly peers around the corner of the castle corridor. Seeing no one, he motions quickly for the others to follow him and they sprint around the corner. They say nothing, straining their ears past the sound of their own labored breathing to hear any sounds to announce that soldiers are close by.

They freeze, hearing footsteps ahead of them. It isn't the clanking of metal boots, but the soft padding of bare feet and a young girl maybe twelve years old with short dark brown hair turns a corner spotting the keyblade wielders. She halts in surprise, and looks at them confused. "Ventus?" She says in disbelief.

Ven holds his finger to his lips and hurries to her with the others following warily. "Lacey we need your help," he says to the girl in a quiet urgent voice.

Lacey eyes him for a moment, then sizes up the others. She looks back at Ven expectantly. He sighs and begins to search his pockets. His fingers close around the munny Master Eraqus had given him to take Zack out on a date. Had that only been a day ago?

"Look," Ven says holding out the coins trying not think about Zack as he does so. Her eyes go wide. "Half now and half after you help us out."

Lacey considers for a moment. "Deal," she says swiping the half of the munny Ven is holding out to her. "What do you need?"

"We gotta get out of the castle without the guards seeing," Ven says.

"That'll be impossible," Lacey replies. "Keric told 'em you're running. There's guards at every exit."

"Every exit?" Ven asks. Lacey nods. "Damn. Ok which one has the fewest?"

Lacey shrugs. "Probably the service exit."

Ven nods. "Can you get us there without any guards seeing?" Lacey nods and beckons them after her as she hurries down a new corridor.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Master Eraqus asks Ven quietly as they run after her.

"No," Ven replies. "Loyalty here can be bought as easily as I just bought her help, and she'd stab us in the back if someone offered her one munny more."

Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua all look shocked, and Ven can't help, but laugh cynically. "Welcome to Carinol," he says. They turn another corner and Lacey is motioning for them to follow her through a door. It leads to a stairwell heading underground. "Listen," Ven says to his friends as they hurry down. "There's gonna be lots of people down here. They're all servants so they won't bother us, but if Keric or the guards ask them about us they'll tell everything they know because if they didn't-"

Ven cuts himself off, but Terra has to ask, "What would happen if they lied?"

Ven hesitates. "Did you see the lightposts when you came in?"

Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua eyes widen as they remember the severed heads that lined the street leading to the castle. They were a warning; don't go against the King and his wishes.

The stairs take them into a network of large tunnels lit by hundreds of small lanterns hanging from the walls and ceiling. Ven had been right, the castle above them may have been nearly empty, but down here people are all over. Lacey doesn't even pause, leading them through the crowd. "Watch where you're goin' bitch!" Someone in the crowd shouts at her, but she just flips them off and continues on. Despite all the hostile stares they are getting, Ven had been right once again. No one made any move to stop them or summon guards. They just watch them go past and then return to their work.

"There's the exit," Lacey says stopping as they round a corner and pointing out an open door at the top of more stairs. Through the door they catch a glimpse of a couple guards wandering around. "Now gimme the rest." She holds out her hand to Ven motioning for the rest of the munny. He pulls it out and she tries to snatch it out of his hand, but he stops her.

"Hold on Lace, we need one more thing," he says and she frowns angrily. "We need a distraction to get out."

"Forget it," Lacey replies. "I'm not getting caught up in this."

"All I need you to do is tell the guards we ran off in a different direction," Ven says trying to coax her into helping.

"Hell no!" Lacey hisses back. "You know what happens when you lie to 'em!"

"C'mon, I lied to Keric about the coffee incident for you," Ven says.

Lacey glares at him. "I still don't know why you did that."

Ven shurgs. "Just being nice and helping a friend."

Lacey continues to glare at him, but then she sighs. "You're a strange guy Ventus, but fine I'll do it. But only 'cause I still owe you!"

"Thanks Lace," Ven says. "Master Eraqus, Terra, can you get one of those lanterns down? Aqua go grab one of those laundry baskets."

Aqua gives Ven a look, but doesn't question him as he has a determined look on his face. Against a wall, five large baskets on wheels each full of dirty linens from the castle. She takes one and wheels it back to Ven who is talking in a lowered voice to Lacey who is nodding unhappily.

Terra and Master Eraqus return with a lantern at the same like she brings over the basket. "What are you planning Ventus?" Master Eraqus asks.

Ven smiles at him, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Chaos."

Taking the lantern from Master Eraqus, Ven quickly blows out the flame and unstoppers the oil well. He then pours the oil on top of the laundry still smiling. He looks at Lacey who who holds out her hand. He hands her the rest of the munny. She slips it in her pocket before stepping back as he tosses the now empty lantern in the basket. "C'mon," he says quickly dragging Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua over near the stairs. They crouch behind some broken furniture that had been dumped in a large pile there, and Ven looks to his friends. "Ready?" He asks with that same fake smile. Without waiting for their reply, he stands summoning his red and black keyblade and points it at the laundry basket. "Fire."

The little fireball that shoots out of his keyblade streaks to the basket, and as soon as it touches the oil soaked linens, the whole thing goes up in flames. The effect is nearly instantaneous. All the servants halt in their work and turn to stare at the flames. As a group they begin to scream and fight each other to get away from the fire. Ven turns his eyes from the mob scene to look up the stairs where the guards outside have poked their heads in to see what all the commotion is about. Right on cue, Lacey's voice rises up over the rest of the noise.

"Ventus! Ventus stop!"

Hearing her and thinking their target is getting away, the guards come sprinting down the stairs. Lacey is there gesturing frantically down one of the corridors clogged with terrified servants, and the guards start shoving people out of the way in their chase after Lacey's lie. From their hiding spot, the keyblade wielders slowly get to their feet, and seeing all the guards are truly gone, they run up the stairs and out the door.

Free from the castle, they are still not out of danger as they have to get out of Whin and then get off Carinol. "This way," Ven calls to the others, and takes the lead once more leading them through the streets of the city and in and out of back alleys. They run out of one alley and back onto a main street when they hear an angry voice call after them.

"Halt!" They of course do not halt, but as they run they look back to see a group of seven or eight guards now in pursuit with their swords drawn out. With Ven being the only one with a weapon, the keyblade wielders can only hope to lose the guards in the city winding streets.

"We're-we're almost out," Ven gasps to the others as they run. "We have to stop them now!"

"Terra, Aqua to me," Master Eraqus commands. "We need a lightning shield. Ventus stay back."

They all stop quickly and turn to face the charging guards. Ven stays out of the way of his friends, but hovers close enough to jump in with his keyblade if their attack fails and he needs to protect them from the guards. "Lightning!" Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua call out together holding their hands out. The crackle of electricity comes first, but then just as the guards are almost on them, a barrier appears that extends across the entire street, completely blocking it. The shield is made up of small bolts of electricity woven together in a loose mesh.

The closest guards have no chance to stop as they crash right into it. They scream and jump back as they get shocked. The rest of the guards stop and glare through the barrier at the keyblade wielders, but they are already long gone, sprinting around one last corner and out of Whin.

A short sprint across the open countryside brings the keyblade wielders back to the forest. Once in the shadows of the trees, they stop and turn back to look at Whin. They can see black figures, the soldiers, pouring out and heading in all directions. "We have to keep moving," Master Eraqus says and his apprentices nod.

Master Eraqus takes the lead and they set off into the depths of the forest. "Do you have a plan Master Eraqus?" Aqua asks.

"It is still our duty to find and seal the keyhole," Master Eraqus says. "It is also our best hope. When the keyhole is sealed, the balance of light and dark will return, and we will be able to summon our keyblades again."

"So where is it?" Terra asks.

Master Eraqus shakes his head. "There is no way for us to know. We just have to trust the heart of this world to guide us to the right spot."

As he says this, six soldier heartless appear in front of them. All four of them fall into battle stances, but Ven quickly moves in front of the rest of them, summoning his new keyblade. "Ventus-" Master Eraqus tries to say in warning, but Ven doesn't wait to hear him. He charges the nearest heartless and before it can defend itself he stabs it through the chest and watches in satisfaction as its pink heart rises away. The other five walk towards him and he smiles again; that smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

A horizontal swipe cuts through two of them, making them vanish as well. One of the remaining ones tries its spin kick attack, but Ven blocks it sending the heartless stumbling back. Before it can recover, he lands a hit on its head, killing it instantly. The two left try to attack together, but Ven surprises them by jumping and flipping over them. As they turn to face him, he slashes through one, and uses the momentum he generates to strike the last one. With two more pink hearts rising up and away, Ven straightens up. He turns back to face the others.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus says slowly. "How did you get so strong all of a sudden?"

"I gave into my anger," Ven whispers to himself, but not loud enough for Master Eraqus to hear him. In his normal voice, Ven says, "It's not me. It's this keyblade. Void Gear. That's what it's called. I-I don't know how I know that."

He holds it up for them to look at while he considers it himself. Master Eraqus looks like he is about to inquire further, but before he can more soldier heartless appear. Except this time instead of 6 heartless there looks like 6,000. Terra, Aqua, and Ven look to Master Eraqus for guidance, and he meets their worried gazes.

"Run."

Master Eraqus takes the lead as they sprint through the forest leaving the soldier heartless to give chase. The heartless follow for a while, but they soon give up, turning their attention to easier targets. The keyblade wielders continue to run though, knowing that stopping may cause more heartless to appear. After nearly ten minutes, Master Eraqus slows to a stop and the others stop as well. They are all gasping for breath and Ven falls to his knees exhausted. Terra kneels next to him, "Are you...are you okay?"

Still out of breath, Ven just nods in reply, but then freezes looking to the side of Terra's head. "Ven? What's wrong?" Terra asks turning his head to look in the same direction as Ven. There is nothing to see but more trees. Suddenly, Ven rushes past him, Master Eraqus' robe flapping around his legs. "Ven! Wait up! Don't go off alone!" Terra calls jumping to his feet and chasing after him. Aqua and Master Eraqus aren't far behind.

Terra is able to just catch glimpses of the white robe as he chases Ven, but without warning he bursts out into a small clearing and almost collides with Ven. Terra is about to yell at the younger boy for running off on his own, but the look on Ven's face stops him. "Ven, what is it?"

At first Ven doesn't seem to hear Terra. He stares right past him at the small clearing in the forest. Then he whispers so quietly Terra almost misses it. "Tay..."

Stunned, Terra takes another look around and sees the place Ven described the night of the nightmare so long ago. One tall tree standing apart from the others, an unobstructed view of the sky and the stars at night, and a mound of dirt, now covered in weeds, at the center of the clearing. The snapping of twigs underfoot causes Terra to turn as Aqua and Master Eraqus enter the clearing. Their look at him questioningly, but then realization hits them as Ven falls to his knees beside the mound.

Hesitantly, Ven places one shaking hand on the mound and lowers his head. Aqua moves to his side and crouches down. She wraps an arm around his shoulder and he leans in, resting against her. No one speaks.

"Never thought I'd make it back here," Ven says in a quiet voice after a minute. "Never thought I'd be able to find this place again."

"Your heart led you here," Master Eraqus says.

Ven nods and wipes his eyes before pulling away from Aqua. She stands and offers him her hand which he gladly takes and let's her pull him to his feet.

"We've got company," Terra says in warning, and Ven looks around to see more heartless surrounding the little clearing. Ven summons Void Gear and prepares to fight off the the heartless but, as if it has a mind of it's own, it instead jerks Ven's arm around to to point at the large tree in the clearing. "What the?"

A keyhole suddenly takes form on the trunk of the tree and Ven is pulled towards it like his keyblade is attracted to it. The wind suddenly picks up and swirls around him, billowing out Master Eraqus' robe. Ven grabs hold of his strange keyblade with both hands as a bright light shoots out of it and hits the keyhole. The sound of a lock sliding into place echoes through the small clearing and the keyhole dissolves. The wind stops and Ven let's his keyblade fall to his side. He turns to see the heartless have melted away and the others are approaching with awed looks on their faces. "What did I just do?" He asks them confused.

"You locked the heart of this world," Master Eraqus tells him. "You have saved it from falling into darkness."

"I have?" Ven says looking down at the bulky keyblade in his hand. He stares at it in deep thought when it suddenly glows once more and he is forced to avert his eyes from the bright light. When the light dims he is able to look back at it except it's gone, replaced by his normal Wayward Wind keyblade.

Even more confused now, he looks at Master Eraqus who smiles kindly. Master Eraqus holds out his hand and his own keyblade appears. "You have freed this world from the darkness." Aqua and Terra hold out their hands and their keyblades appear as well. "Now we can go home," Master Eraqus says. "Terra, Aqua, I want you two to return to Disney Castle and retrieve Sora and Riku. I'll bring Ventus home."

"Yes Master Eraqus," Terra and Aqua both say smacking their armor sleeves. They toss their keyblades high above the trees and quickly hop onto the gliders that come back to them. As they rise away Master Eraqus turns to Ven who is looking more depressed than ever. He follows the boy's gaze to see him staring once more at the mound of earth where his best friend had been buried.

"C'mon Ven," Master Eraqus says quietly resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We have to go before the guards find us."

Ven nods and then says in a sad voice, "I'm never coming back. Never." He summons his armor and throws his keyblade. Master Eraqus does the same, but before they get on their gliders, Ven turns back on last time. "Good bye, Tay." He then hops on his glider and shoots off leaving Master Eraqus to hurry after him.

…

Keric wakes up slowly, face down in a small pool of blood on the dungeon floor. Groaning, he pushes himself to his feet, only to stagger into the closest wall. Leaning against it for support, he clutches his pounding head for a moment before looking at his hands to see them bloody. Grimacing, he traces the long cut down the side of his face, remembering.

Ignoring the pulsing headache he has, Keric forces his head up. He hisses in anger seeing the back of the man who had told him Ven was coming at the end of the corridor. The man turns and glares with his yellow eyes at Keric. "You lied to me!" Keric shouts. "Tell me who you are!"

"Xehanort," he replies beginning to walk towards Keric. "And you boy, have failed me. You let Ventus escape your grasp."

"Let him?" Keric shouts angrily. "Do you see this?" He points to the bleeding cut on his face. "This is your fault. You said no keyblades."

Xehanort doesn't reply for a moment and then says, "Tell me what happened."

"Forget it," Keric says. "I'm done with you."

Keric tries to walk away, but the second he turns his back he feels the cold touch of metal on the back of his neck. "Tell me what happened," Xehanort repeats.

"Okay, okay!" Keric replies quickly. He turns to see a huge keyblade in Xehanort's hand still pointed at him. He holds his hands up in surrender and begins to speak quickly. "Like you said, Veni and his friends came and they couldn't use their keyblades. My guards easily caught them and I took Veni for some...catching up time, while his friends got tossed in this dungeon. Then all of a sudden, Veni's eyes got all weird and he summoned a keyblade. He summoned a fucking keyblade! You said that wouldn't happen!"

Xehanort ignores Keric's enraged glare as he ponders what Keric had just told him. "What did this keyblade look like? Was it his normal keyblade?"

"No," Keric replies. "It was much bigger, and it was red and black."

At that Xehanort laughs. The cold humorless sound echoes through the dungeon. "What's so funny old man?" Keric demands.

Xehanort stops laughing. "What's so funny boy, is that this was far from a failure," Xehanort replies. "You did better than I dared hope, and for that you will be greatly rewarded in the end."

"What did I do?" Keric asks slowly.

"This world was plagued by darkness," Xehanort replies. "No keyblade of light could have been used here. No, the keyblade Ventus summoned was a keyblade of darkness. A keyblade of his darker side, the stronger side. A side that you and your actions drew out of Ventus. Darkness reigns within him now, and with that comes to the power to make the X-blade!"

Xehanort's eyes are wild and they turn to rest on Keric. "You have proven yourself to be a valuable asset boy. You may yet be useful. I will be back for your assistance if it is required, in the meantime, I would get that scratch looked at, it might scar."

Eyes still glowing with dark glee, Xehanort opens a dark corridor and steps through. After the few seconds in the dark, he emerges on a world of red rocks. He is perched on a cliff overlooking a valley filled with century old keyblades, long forgotten. The Keyblade Graveyard. Alone on the barren world, Xehanort cackles loudly to himself. Everything is falling into place better than he had expected. Yet there is still one obstacle in his way, Eraqus. He would have to get Ventus away from Eraqus somehow, and once he did there would be no one to stop him.

* * *

**MLSoT: You probably already saw my review of your story, but I'm super excited to see what's going to happen.**

**Mexi: I declare you will get more Vanitas moments! ...Just not for a couple chapters.**

**Zephyr26: Yeah Vanitas was really just saving himself, but that's ok cause he still saved Ven from Keric.**

**TheXBlade: I agree Aqua needs more fight scenes centered on her so I'll definitely keep that in mind, but right now the story is so centered on Ven so she might have to wait a bit longer.**

**SnowKawasagi: Yeah I wouldn't get on Terra's bad side.**

**For anyone who read my other story **_**Finding the Light**_ **go check out MoonLitSparklesofTwilight's new fanfiction **_**Remnants of Twilight**_**. It's a fanfiction of my fanfiction and it's great!**

**I'll leave you with just one word on next chapter...ANGST. Oh and ice cream too.**


	35. Who's Vanitas?

Chapter 35 _Who's Vanitas?_

Ven kicks the door shut with a slam and stands catching his breath surveying his room which is still as bright and comforting as ever. It makes him sick.

The footsteps coming down the hall on the other side of the now shut door make him stiffen. He shouldn't be surprised that Master Eraqus hadn't let him off so easy. As soon as they had landed back home, Ven had run away from the older man and come here to be alone with his confused and painful thoughts. But now Master Eraqus is right outside the door.

"Ventus?" Master Eraqus calls quietly through the door. "Ventus I know you're in there. Please open the door."

Ven doesn't reply holding his breath as he leans his back against the door. He slowly slides to the floor without a sound and waits for the telltale sound of footsteps to indicate Master Eraqus walking away to leave him to his miseries.

Instead, "Ventus, I'm here for you. I want you to feel safe," Master Eraqus pauses but Ven still remains silent. With a sigh Master Eraqus continues, "I don't know what happened to you today. I can't help you unless you tell me." Again he pauses and for a moment Ven almost opens his mouth to tell all, but he can't. He just...can't.

"Whenever you want to talk about...anything," Master Eraqus says after a few moments of silence, "I'll be here to listen."

With that, Master Eraqus' retreating footsteps slowly move away and Ven is left alone with his tortured thoughts. He remains sitting against the door for over an hour just staring vacantly at the opposite wall without really seeing it. His stupor is broken by a soft knock at the door.

"Ven?" Aqua's voice is muffled by the door. "Ven are you going to come out for dinner?"

Ven doesn't reply and after a moment Aqua's footsteps leave him in silence again. Sighing, he gets to his feet and locks the door to his room. Shrugging off Master Eraqus' robe, he moves to his wardrobe and throws on a T-shirt. For moment he regards himself in the mirror on the inside of the door. He looks small, sad, and scared. He looks...weak.

Ven closes the wardrobe firmly before moving to his bed and flopping down. As Ven lies on his back on top of the covers of his bed. He tries to keep his mind blank and avoid all memories of the day, but the harder he tries the more he thinks about it all. Keric and Tay. The palace and the clearing. The hurt and the loss. The past. The past he is trying so hard to get away from. The past that won't let him go.

Unable to sit still any longer, Ven gets to his feet and begins to pace. It all hurt so much. He hates Keric. He hates Tay for leaving him. He hates himself.

It was all his fault. Tay's death, the massacre in Whin, his imprisonment, Keric's abuse. All because he was too weak to be alone. He should have sent Tay away, if he had Tay would still be alive. He shouldn't have gone to Whin, if he hadn't those innocent people wouldn't have had to die and he wouldn't have gone to prison. And Keric...what if he had thrown off his advances right away? Keric had been right, Ven had loved him when they had first met. Ven had been happy to be loved by his savior, but all too soon his savior had turned to tormentor. Even then Ven hadn't run away. He had stayed, for months, hoping Keric would stop hitting him.

How could he have been so stupid! Ven punches the lamp off his nightstand and it falls with a crash to the floor. Keric was evil, always had been, always will be, but Ven had tried to deny that fact, tried to make him the companion he wanted because he was weak. Because he couldn't be alone. He been stupid to love Keric. He'd been stupid to go back to Carinol. He'd gone right back to Keric and right back to how things had been. And still he couldn't fight Keric off. Still he'd been weak and he hated himself for being so weak.

Anger is building in him and he needs an outlet. Ven snatches a pillow from the bed and tosses it into the air, summoning his keyblade. As it falls, Ven slashes through it making feathers fly everywhere. Half the pillow lands at his feet and he kicks it away. Still full of anger, he grabs another pillow off his bed and slices it in half as well.

Its not working. He still hates himself. With a roar of anger and despair, he hurtles his keyblade across the room and it embeds itself in the wall with a crash. Breathing hard and more ashamed than ever. Ven backs up until he is against the wall. With a sigh of defeat he slides to the floor and pulls his knees to his chin.

Worthless. Stupid. Disgusting. Helpless. Damaged. Cowardly. Loser. Useless. Failure. Weak.

All the taunts and insults Keric had ever said to him echo through his mind.

"Ven?" Terra is knocking on his door. "Ven why don't we talk?"

"Go away!" Ven shouts as he begins to sob. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"C'mon Ven," Terra says and the handle of the door jiggles but the lock holds it closed. "I want to help you. We can talk about what Keric-"

"Fuck off already!" Ven screams. He screws up his eyes against the tears and the pain as memories assail him. "Mind your own damn business!"

"I'm not leaving," Terra replies.

"Go away!" Ven moans. "Leave me alone! You don't understand!"

"Then tell me Ven." Terra waits, but all he can hear is Ven's quiet sobs. "What did he do to you?" Terra says it so softly Ven barely hears it, but it makes him cry even harder burying his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry Ven," Terra continues in a quiet voice. "I couldn't stop him. I couldn't save you."

Ven stops sobbing. Terra is mad at himself, blames himself, for what Keric had done. All Ven's grief is pushed out of his mind, at the sound of Terra's broken voice. Ven gets to his feet and moves to the door. Leaning against it, Ven says quietly in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's not your fault Terra."

"It's not your fault either Ven," Terra replies and Ven's breath catches in his throat.

A single tear of relief falls down his face, and he mumbles a response.

"What was that?"

"I know," Ven repeats. He pauses. "I hate him. I hate him so much. I hate them all. Every single person on that fucking world."

"Ven-"

"Terra I really want to be alone now," Ven says cutting him off.

Terra sighs. "Alright," he says unhappily. "If that is what you really want."

Hearing Terra leave, Ven sighs and looks over at his bed. Sleep, that is what he wants. To sleep and forget. With a large effort, he summons enough energy to walk over to his bed. He falls on it once more and curls up facing his window where the last dregs of light from the sunset as coming through. He closes his eyes and escapes into unconsciousness.

…

Holding a gift of a dinner plate, Aqua knocks on Ven's door an hour after Terra had left. She waits, listening carefully for sounds of Ven moving inside, but there is only silence. She knocks again, and this time calls softly through the door, "Ven? Are you awake? I brought you dinner."

Still getting no answer, Aqua sighs and tries the door knob. Locked. Now annoyed, she summons her keyblade. Pointing it at the lock, a small light appears and the door unlocks with an audible click. "Ven?" She calls again as she eases the door open. Inside, Ven's room is dark with only the light from the hallway spilling through the doorway and the light of the moon outside his window to illuminate the space. After a moment for her eyes to adjust she sees him lying on his bed. "Ven?" She calls once more as she crosses the room. He is lying on his side, slightly curled up, and facing away from her.

"I know you're awake Ven," Aqua says as she places the plate of food on his nightstand. "I brought you dinner. It's pizza. Your favorite."

Ven doesn't respond or give any indication that he heard her. Sighing, Aqua sits on the edge of his bed and leans over him to see his face. His eyes are close and his face completely expressionless. He's asleep, or faking it, Aqua can't tell.

"I'm not going to leave Ven," Aqua says. "You might as well talk to me."

Still no answer except a soft snore. Aqua sighs. "Fine. I'll talk." She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before saying, "Ven, I don't know what to say to make you feel better. I don't know what words will take away the pain. But I can tell you that I am here. Terra and Master Eraqus are here for you as well. Ven...you're more than our friend, you're our family. Seeing you suffer like this...I just want to help, but I don't know how."

Aqua pauses taking a deep breath. Ven moves slightly, it's almost too small of a movement to notice, but it's the drive Aqua needs to keep talking. "You're safe Ven. As long as you're on this world you're safe. No one here will hurt you. I'd hope you'd feel safe enough here to talk to us and tell us what happened."

Aqua waits, but Ven still doesn't respond. "Everything that happened today is now in the past," Aqua says quietly. "It's over and done and the only thing left to do is move on. Time heals all wounds, I promise." She pauses. "Get some rest Ven. You'll feel better in the morning."

Aqua gets up to go, but her heart wrenches at the sight on Ven still curled up on his bed. She leans back over him and gives his forehead a soft kiss. "I promise you won't always feel this way," she whispers before heading for the door.

As she reaches the doorway, she hears a quiet voice from the bed. "Aqua?" She pauses and turns back quickly. Ven hasn't moved.

"Yes?" She replies softly.

"Thanks."

Aqua smiles. "Of course Ven." Still smiling she closes the door quietly, leaving Ven alone once more.

Ven waits until he hears the door shut and Aqua's footsteps move down the hallway before he rolls onto his back and sighs. Aqua's words had soothed his flaring emotions, and he settles down to try and fall asleep once more. He hovers on the cusp of sleep for awhile, unable to fall completely under. Then, just as he is almost succeeds, his stomach growls loudly and his eyes shoot open.

When was the last time he had eaten? This morning? Sitting up he looks over at the clock beside his bed. 11:19. Beside the clock is the plate Aqua had brought him. She had been right, pizza is his favorite, but it's not what he wants right now. Right now he wants what anyone feeling unhappy wants. He wants ice cream.

As quietly as possible, he gets up and moves to his door. As he goes he picks up both the plate of food and Master Eraqus' robe which still lay on the ground where he had dropped it. Cracking the door open, he looks up and down the hallway. Seeing no one, he slips out and heads downstairs. The castle is silent as the others had already gone to bed after such a long, stressful day.

The kitchen is empty when Ven turns the light on. He places the dinner plate and the robe on the table before making his way to the fridge. After a quick search he is rewarded with a carton of chocolate ice cream. Retrieving a bowl and a spoon, Ven begins to scoop himself ice cream when he hears,

"Ven?"

Ven looks up to see Sora and Riku peering into the kitchen. They have on their pajamas and shuffle into the kitchen climbing onto the stools on the other side of the counter from. "What are you guys still doing up?" Ven asks.

They both shrug. "Can we have ice cream too?" Sora asks hopefully.

"Why not?" Ven says trying to smile. "Just don't tell Master Eraqus OK?"

"OK!" They both say excitedly and Ven opens the cabinet to get two more bowls. He begins to scoop them each a small bowl of ice cream when Riku suddenly remembers, "Oh!"

He jumps off the stool and hurries over to the kitchen table where a messy pile of paper and crayons had been left out. He searches for a moment before pulling one out and returning to his stool. Ven has finished scooping their ice cream and Sora has already dove into his.

"We made this for you," Riku says handing Ven the drawing. Ven takes it and turns it around. Its a drawing of several stick figures all holding hands. Someone, by the looks of the handwriting it was Aqua, had labeled each one. He is the yellow one in the middle with a big smile. On one side of him is a small figure labeled Sora and on the other side a similarly small stick figure is labeled Riku. Next to Riku is the tallest stick figure labeled Terra and next to Terra is a blue stick figure labeled Aqua. Next to Sora is a stick figure with black hair labeled Master Eraqus. Ven smiles slightly at the childish drawing the two little boys had made for him.

"You guys made this for me?" Ven says softly.

"Yep! It's our family!" Sora says his mouth full of ice cream. "We made it for you because we want you to be happy. Terra told us you were sad. He said thats why you didn't eat dinner with us."

"Yeah," Ven says sadly. "Thanks guys I really like the picture."

"You're welcome," Sora says happily.

They continue to eat their ice cream in silence when Riku breaks it saying, "Why were you sad?"

Ven swallows the bite of ice cream in his mouth slowly before saying, "I saw someone today that I haven't see in a long time."

"That's sad?" Sora asks confused.

"You see...he's a bully," Ven explains. "He hurt me...alot. When I came to live here with Master Eraqus and the others, I thought I was safe from him. But I made a mistake, and ended up back where he could hurt me."

Sora and Riku frown. "But he can't hurt you now right?" Riku asks. "I mean, we are safe here from bullies right?"

"Yeah," Ven says with a small smile; a genuine smile. "We're together and safe."

"Are you still sad Ven?" Sora asks innocently.

Ven considers for a moment before answering. "I'm still sad...but I'm also happy. I'm happy to be home and for us all to be safe. I'll probably be sad for a little while, but like Aqua said I won't be sad forever."

Taking his final bite of ice cream, Ven puts his bowl and Sora and Riku's also empty bowls in the sink before chasing them out of the kitchen. The three of them race back upstairs, and after saying goodnight to the two younger boys, Ven returns to his own room and places the drawing Sora and Riku had made for him on his desk. Lying on his bed, he glances over at his clock. 11:51.

_Almost midnight._ Ven thinks to himself. _Did that really all happen in one day? Everything's changed and yet...nothing has. Tomorrow. Tomorrow has to be better because it can't be any worse than today right?_ With that final thought, Ven rolls over and falls asleep.

…

The next morning, Terra walks out of his room to find Aqua standing in the hallway with her eyes fixed on Ven's closed door. "Hey," Terra says softly so as to not startle her.

"Hey," Aqua says back with a sigh.

Terra wraps an arm around her and kisses the top of her head. "He'll be okay."

Aqua nods silently and tilts her head up to give him a soft kiss. With one last glance back at Ven's door, the two of them walk downstairs. Master Eraqus is coming down at the same time and the three enter the kitchen together to find Sora and Riku sitting at the table in a heated debate.

"You can't," Riku insists.

"Bet ya I can!" Sora replies.

"You can't."

"I can!"

Aqua is about to ask them what they are arguing about, but she sees the dinner plate she had brought up to Ven the night before on the table. The pizza is untouched. Next to it is Master Eraqus' robe. She picks them both up and hands the robe to Master Eraqus. "Did Ven come down last night?" She asks.

"He must have come down after we all went to bed," Master Eraqus says slipping on the robe. "He didn't eat the dinner you left for him?"

"No," Aqua says sadly. She moves to the sink to wash the plate. "Oh! He must have come down for ice cream." Terra and Master Eraqus walk over to see the bowls in the sink. "There's three." Aqua points out.

Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus look at each other before Master Eraqus turns to the two boys at the table. "Sora, Riku did you- what are you doing?"

"Riku says you can't lick your elbow," Sora explains as he strains with his tongue pointed out at his elbow.

Riku is trying as well, but he gives up. "See Sora you can't."

"Yes you can," Sora says determinedly, turning his arm in every direction trying to bring his elbow close enough. After struggling for a few more seconds, Sora gives up. "Guess you can't."

Master Eraqus rubs his temple and sighs. "Sora, Riku, did you see Ven last night?"

"Yep." They both affirm nodding.

"You guys had ice cream with him?" Terra asks.

Sora and Riku look at each other biting their lips. Riku jumps off his chair and hurries to Terra. He beckons to him and Terra complies, leaning down so Riku can whisper in his ear. After a moment Terra straightens up and turns to Master Eraqus and Aqua who are looking at him curiously. "They had ice cream with Ven," Terra says.

"Terra!" Riku whines and pouts.

"Ven told them not to tell you," Terra explains to Master Eraqus.

"Don't worry I'm not mad about the ice cream," Master Eraqus says to Sora and Riku. "Did Ven talk to you about what happened yesterday?"

"He told us about the bully making him sad," Sora replies.

"A bully?" Aqua says and Sora nods.

"Yeah, he said he made a mistake and the bully hurt him again." Sora frowns. "He said the bully hurt him alot."

Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus exchange a sad look. Riku adds, "But we told him we were safe from bullies here."

After a pause, Sora asks, "Can we play outside?"

"Alright just stay near the castle," Master Eraqus says and the two boys run off. "Terra, Aqua," he then says to his older apprentices. "Have breakfast and then come see me in my office." Master Eraqus then walks out, leaving Terra and Aqua to wonder what he wants to talk to them about.

…

"It came to my attention while we were imprisoned on Carinol that you have been keeping something from me," Master Eraqus states. He is sitting at his desk with his hands folded neatly across from Terra and Aqua who shift nervously under his gaze. "Would you like to tell me or would you rather I guess?"

Terra and Aqua look at each other before turning away quickly. Both keep their eyes on the carpet refusing to look Master Eraqus in the eye. He sighs and continues, "You have lived together here since you were both five years old. It is not surprising that you have developed feelings for each other that go beyond friendship." Master Eraqus pauses to see if either of his apprentices will speak up, but they continue to stare down the floor as their faces redden visibly. "Such feelings are only amplified by the fact that you are both young and curious. To you, your new relationship must be strange and exciting, and you will probably test it's boundaries. Therefore, we must have this conversation."

"Master Eraqus," Aqua says quietly looking everywhere except her teacher. "I- I don't understand. You aren't mad?"

"Of course not Aqua," Master Eraqus says gently.

"But aren't keyblade wielders supposed to put their duty before all else?" Aqua asks finally getting the courage to look Master Eraqus in the eye. He can see the conflict and worry in her gaze.

"Yes, our duties to the worlds must be foremost on our minds, but that doesn't not mean we have to deny ourselves happiness," Master Eraqus says, watching as hope and relief replaces her worry. "If your relationship with Terra somehow became an obstacle to you performing your duties as a keyblade wielder, then it would have to be reevaluated."

Master Eraqus takes a deep breath. "Now," he says in a reluctant voice. "Having said that, there is one way the relationship between the two of you could affect your ability to perform your duty Aqua, and that is pregnancy."

At his last word, both of his apprentices turn an even darker shade of red and stiffen. Slowly, they both turn to look at each other, but quickly turn away returning their eyes to the carpet.

"Master Eraqus," Terra says through gritted teeth. "You don't need to-"

"Actually I do Terra," Master Eraqus says interrupting him. "No matter how uncomfortable it is to talk about, it is my duty as your master to set some boundaries in regards to a sexual relationship between the two of you."

Aqua makes a small noise of protest and closes her eyes in embarrassment. Master Eraqus takes another deep breath and continues, "As I said you are young and your relationship is new and exciting. You will be curious, and you will have...desires." At this point, both Terra and Aqua have reached a shade of red that Master Eraqus would not have thought was possible. They are turned slightly away from each other and have their heads down with their eyes closed in an attempt to escape Master Eraqus' words. "I would hope that you have the willpower to avoid giving in to these desires, but I do not pretend to know exactly how you feel about each other. I would hope that your relationship isn't at a sexual level yet, but if it is or if it becomes so please use protection."

"Master Eraqus!" Terra says unable to take it any longer. "You already gave us the sex talk when we hit puberty. We get it! You don't have to go over everything again."

"I am aware we already discussed this, but that was when you were children," Master Eraqus says. "You are now young adults who must a have a greater understanding of the consequences. If Aqua were to become pregnant, she would not be fit to perform her duties as a keyblade wielder. Neither of you want that right?"

Both of them shake their head fervently no. "Good," Master Eraqus says. "Now the best way to prevent pregnancy is abstinence, but if you were to-"

Master Eraqus is interrupted by a soft knock at his door. "Yes?" Master Eraqus calls, and the door partially opens to reveal Ven in the doorway. He is slightly surprised to see Terra and Aqua, and looks questioningly at their bright red faces. "Oh Ventus, how are you feeling?" Master Eraqus asks rising from his chair and coming around his desk.

"I- I'm ready to talk to you," Ven says shifting nervously. "But if you're busy I can just come back."

"No!" Aqua says quickly as her and Terra jump out of their chairs. "I mean...you're not interrupting. We were almost done anyways."

Ven slowly enters the room and the others watch him carefully, unsure what to say. "Would you mind if I just talk to Master Eraqus alone?" He says glancing from Terra to Aqua.

Aqua looks like she is about to protest, but Terra takes her hand gently. "Not at all Ven. We'll go check on Sora and Riku." Still holding hands, they walk out of the office shutting the door behind them.

Master Eraqus quickly rearranges the chairs Terra and Aqua had just vacated so that they are facing each other. He indicates for Ven to take one and as Ven slowly sinks into the chair, Master Eraqus sits opposite him. Ven keeps his eyes on his hands clasped in his lap as he speaks in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. It was a big mistake. If I had just listened to you, none of this would have happened."

Master Eraqus dares to ask, "What happened Ventus?" Ven ducks his head even farther. "Please Ventus."

Ven takes a deep breath. "After they dragged you away, Keric took me back to his private rooms. He started to- He wanted- He tried-" Ven can't find the right words to explain until he feels Master Eraqus put a hand on his own trembling hands. He looks up to find Master Eraqus' watching him with kind eyes. "He kissed me," Ven whispers. "And he started touching me. I fought him, I fought him as best I could, but he is so strong. He had me pinned and he started talking. Talking about how he knew how to keep me with him forever. I- I made him think I was happy and- and when he kissed me again...I kissed back. That distracted him, so I threw him off me, but he caught me again. He said he would kill me if I didn't love him. And he dragged me to his bedroom."

Ven stops for a moment and lowers his head again. Master Eraqus reaches out and tilts his head back up, seeing the pain in Ven's watery blue eyes. "It's okay Ventus."

Ven takes a shuddering breath and forces himself to continue. "He wanted to...you know...and I fought. I fought so hard, but I was on his bed and he had his hands on my throat. I couldn't breath...I couldn't..."

Ven's body shudders with a sob, and Master Eraqus squeezes his hand tighter. "Ventus, what happened after that?"

"I don't know!" Ven shouts squeezing his eyes shut. "He had his hands on my throat and _he_ was yelling at me. I couldn't fight both of them. I had to given in. I had to let him out."

"Who?" Master Eraqus asks confused. "Who else was there?"

"Vanitas," Ven says. "Vanitas was there. He's here. He's always with me." Ven sees the look of complete confusion on Master Eraqus face. "I'm crazy," Ven whispers. "I must be crazy."

"Who's Vanitas?" Master Eraqus asks urgently.

"He's me, I'm him, we're the same," Ven says the words tumbling out. He grabs his head. "He talks to me, tells me things. He told me to go to Carinol. He convinced me. Then, with Keric, I let him take over. He took control. He- I summoned that keyblade and fought Keric off."

"You fought Keric off?" Master Eraqus asks, trying to make sense of what Ven is trying to say.

Ven shakes his head. "I know what happened, I know my hands were the ones swinging the keyblade, but I don't remember doing it. It's like...It's like someone told me what happen, like I wasn't there to see it was Vanitas. I let him take control... Am I crazy?"

Ven's desperate eyes search Master Eraqus' face for an answer. "No," Master Eraqus replies slowly. "It seems to me that Vanitas is your darker half Ventus. He is the darkness inside you."

Ven leans back in his chair his face white. "Darkness? But he saved me."

"From what you told me," Master Eraqus replies. "He may have saved you from Keric, but he is also the one to convince you to disobey me and go to Carinol."

Ven is quiet for a moment before saying, "Did he- did he want me to go back to Keric so I would be so scared I'd let him out?"

Master Eraqus nods gravely. "He knows what you know Ventus. He knew how scared and angry Keric could make you. He knew he could use those emotions to take control of your body. He is darkness Ventus. You must not let it happen again, there is no telling what he will do."

Ven nods. "Can you make him leave?" Ven asks desperately.

Master Eraqus shakes his head. "Unfortunately I cannot doing anything that wouldn't end up hurting you. He is a part of you Ventus. You are the only one with the power to suppress him. Ventus, no matter how scared you get you must not let Vanitas out again. There is no telling what he would do if he had control of your body again."

Ven nods and stands. "Can we be done?"

"One more question," Master Eraqus replies. "Did Keric say if he was working with anyone one else?"

Ven thinks for a moment. "Yeah...he did. He said he knows a guy who is trying to take over the worlds and we could join him."

Master Eraqus soaks this in for a moment before hurrying to his desk. "Thank you for trusting me Ventus. Do you feel better?" As he says this, he searches through his drawers pulling out a piece of paper, an envelop, and a pen.

"Yeah...I think I'll go talk to Terra and Aqua," Ven says as he turns to go.

"If you want to talk to Zack as well you may go to Traverse Town," Master Eraqus says. "Just take Terra and Aqua with you."

"Alright," Ven says walking out the door. "Thank you Master Eraqus, for listening."

Master Eraqus looks up. "Anytime Ventus, my door is always open to you." Ven gives him a weak smile before exiting the office, closing the door behind him.

With a sigh, Master Eraqus turns his attention to the blank paper in front of him. Picking up his pen he begins his letter.

_Dear Yen Sid,_

_The situation with Xehanort is far worse than we thought..._

* * *

**Mexi: Now it's day 2! Yeah I know day 1 took forever, but day 2 is much shorter.**

**MLSoT: Zack's for next chapter, and Ven is going to have to tell him all about Keric.**

**So Vanitas isn't talking to Ven directly anymore, but his presence is still screwing with Ven's emotions. That'll continue into the next couple chapters until...well you'll see.**


	36. Couples

Chapter 36 _Couples_

After leaving Master Eraqus' office, Ven walks downstairs in search of Terra and Aqua. He checks the kitchen and the sitting room, but they aren't there. He then goes to the training room to look for them, but instead finds Sora and Riku play fighting with the wooden swords Master Eraqus lets them use. "Hey Ven!" Sora cries running over with a huge smile.

"Hi Sora," Ven replies. "Have either of you seen Terra and Aqua?"

Both Sora and Riku nod. "They told us to practice and then they went to your room," Riku says as he and Sora return to their sparing.

"My room?" Ven asks confused.

"Yep!" Sora replies, so with a shrug Ven heads back upstairs. From the hallway he can hear Terra and Aqua talking in his room. He walks in and they both look up and smile.

"We're just cleaning up a little in here," Aqua explains holding up a bag full of feathers from the pillows Ven had destroyed in anger last night.

"You guys didn't have to do that," Ven replies.

"Well we wanted to," Terra says. "Now come help me fix this hole in the wall."

"Sorry about that," Ven says sheepishly. He walks over to the hole and helps Terra spread some plaster over the ragged hole.

Aqua continues picking up feathers and asks, "So are ready to tell us what happened?" She's trying to sound nonchalant about it, but Ven knows she is really worried. Ven nods and tells them in as concise a manner as possible what happened with Keric. He leaves out the part about Vanitas so as to not scare them or make them think he is crazy. He merely states that he felt a surge of new strength right before he summon the Void Gear keyblade and fought Keric off. When he finishes, they are both staring wide eyed at him. "Oh Ven," Aqua says sadly before wrapping him in a smothering hug.

"Don't be like that Aqua," Ven says. "It's not that bad. It wasn't anything he hadn't done before."

"Was that supposed to make us feel better?" Terra asks.

Ven considers for a moment. "Yes." Then he starts to laugh. After a moment, Terra and Aqua join in laughing away all the stress and worry left over from the day before.

Aqua releases him from her hug and Ven surveys his room. All the feathers had been picked up, the lamp had been set back on the nightstand, and the hole in the wall had been covered. It is almost as if yesterday hadn't happened, almost. "Master Eraqus said I could go to Traverse Town and talk to Zack if I wanted to," Ven says. "Do you think I should?"

"You're going to have to tell him at some point right?" Terra says and Ven nods sadly. "Then you might as well get it over with. C'mon let's go."

Terra and Aqua walk quickly out of Ven's room with Ven following rather reluctantly behind. At the bottom of the stairs they are met by Sora and Riku.

"If Master Eraqus asks tell him we took Ven to Traverse Town," Terra says to the two boys.

"You're going to Traverse Town?" Riku asks curiously. "Can we come?"

"I betcha just wanna go to see _Marlene_," Sora says making a kissy face at Riku.

"So what?" Riku snaps at him his ears turning pink. "She's our friend."

Sora starts to sing, "Riku and Marlene sittin' in a tree K-I-"

"Please don't start that again Sora," Aqua interrupts sighing. "Why don't you two go see if Master Eraqus has a lesson for you? We'll take you to Traverse Town next time."

Sora and Riku both pout slightly, but nod and race each other upstairs to find Master Eraqus. Terra, Aqua, and Ven head out the front doors of the castle and walk down the steps. After summoning their armor Ven says, "You know, Master Eraqus might have a lesson for me as well. Maybe I should go ask before we go." Ven starts to walk back towards the castle, but Terra moves in front of him.

"He already told you you could go," Terra points out. "Now c'mon. You'll feel better after talking to Zack."

With a sigh of acceptance, Ven joins Terra and Aqua in tossing their keyblades into the air. When their gliders return, the trio hop on and shoot off into space, heading for Traverse Town.

...

"So did you guys tell Master Eraqus that you're dating?" Ven asks as they enter Traverse Town through the front doors in the 1st district. "Is that what I interrupted when I came into his office?"

To Ven's surprise both Aqua and Terra blush. "Uh..yeah. He knows," Terra says without elaborating.

"So he's okay with it?" Ven asks. Terra and Aqua nod and begin to move towards the 7th Heaven. "See, I told you there was no reason to worry." Ven says trailing behind. Terra and Aqua reach the doors to the bar, but before they go in they look back to see Ven still in the middle of the square.

"You coming?" Aqua asks.

"Uh...now that I think about it, maybe this isn't a good idea," Ven says nervously putting his hands behind his head. "I don't know what I'm going to say to Zack. Let's just come back tomorrow." Ven turns to leave, but Terra's hand on his shoulder stops him.

"Nice try Ven," Terra says spinning him back around. "But you'll have to do this eventually. Putting it off isn't going to make it go away."

Ven sighs. "Yeah, I know."

"Look! Here he comes. Right on cue," Aqua says and Ven looks up to see Zack coming down the stairs into the square. Seeing Ven and the others, Zack smiles and hurries over.

"Hey guys!" Zack says in greeting.

"Hey Zack," both Terra and Aqua say while Ven only smiles weakly.

"Ven has something he needs to talk to you about," Terra says immediately, pushing Ven forward.

Zack raises an eyebrow in surprise and Ven gives Terra a glare. "We'll be at the bar," Aqua says taking Terra's hand and giving Ven a wave good bye. The two of them glance back at the boys just before they enter the 7th Heaven to see them head up the stairs towards the 2nd District.

Terra and Aqua enter the bar to find Tifa, Cid, and Cloud inside. The three look up and smile seeing their guests. "Hey," Terra says as he and Aqua walk over. "Ven came with us, but he went off with Zack. I'm sure he'll be by later to say hel-"

"You two are holding hands!" Cid suddenly shouts making everyone jump. "I knew it! I knew there was something goin' on with the two of ya."

"Uh...yeah...we're dating now," Terra says giving Aqua a smile.

"Well we're happy for you," Tifa says and Cloud nods in agreement. "Not that we're surprised," she says so only Cloud can hear her.

"So pull up a chair and spill your guts," Cid says. "I want the whole story."

Terra and Aqua exchange a look and sigh. They take a seat and brace themselves for the barrage of personal questions Cid has ready for them.

…

"Can't you just give me a hint?" Zack asks for the fourth time as Ven leads him down the steps in the 2nd District. For the fourth time, Ven shakes his head and refuses to say a word. After insisting they find a quiet place to talk, Ven hadn't said a word to Zack and now Zack is getting worried. What does Ven have to tell him that has him acting so weird?

At the bottom of the stairs, by the fountain, Ven turns to Zack. "Yesterday I went back to Carinol, my home world, for the first time since I left."

Zack waits for Ven to continue, but when he doesn't Zack prompts him. "And?"

Ven opens his mouth, but then snaps in closed. He turns away from Zack and begins to walk across the empty area. "Ven? Ven what's wrong?" Zack calls after him. When Ven doesn't respond, Zack runs to catch up with him. He takes Ven's hand and pulls him to stop. Ven's bright blue eyes are filled with pain, alarming Zack. "Ven, what happened?"

Instead of answering, Ven pulls Zack into a kiss. Surprised, Zack kisses back, but then pulls away trying to ask again. "Ven, what's wro-"

Zack is cut off by Ven pushing him back onto one of the benches against the wall. Ven then climbs onto Zack lap and presses himself against Zack. Ven starts to make out intently with Zack who tries his best, but can't keep up with with Ven's fervent kiss. As they make out, Ven's cheek brushes Zack's and Zack starts feeling Ven's face is wet with tears. Zack breaks the kiss by taking Ven's cheeks in his hands and pulling him away. "Ven..." Zack says worriedly rubbing away the tear tracks with his thumbs, but more tears replace them quickly.

Zack pulls Ven into a tight hug and Ven buries his face in Zack's shoulder to muffle his sobs. Zack can hear Ven mumbling something though his tears, but it takes him a moment to figure out what he is saying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Ven please talk to me," Zack whispers rubbing Ven's back. "What happened on Carinol?"

"I messed up. I was too weak. I couldn't stop him," Ven mumbles into Zack shoulder. After a short pause, he sits up and looks Zack in the eye.

Zack gently kisses Ven's trembling lips. "You can always talk to me, remember?"

Ven nods and sighs. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, and moves off of Zack's lap. He sits next to him on the bench, and leans against him. Zack wraps an arm around his shoulders as Ven speaks. "I lived with Keric for 6 months before I met Terra and Aqua, he's the king of Carinol now. He said he loved me, but he would hit me all the time. When I finally got the courage to run away I met Terra and Aqua and they took me away from that place for good."

Zack's arm around his shoulder tightens at his words and Ven takes a deep breath, forcing himself to keep talking. "Then yesterday, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua had to go to Carinol to save it from darkness and Master Eraqus told me not to come. But I was so mad at him. I went anyways. I walked right into Keric's trap."

"What did he do to you?" Zack asks apprehensively.

"He- he hit me," Ven replies. "And...kissed me." He feels Zack stiffen against him.

They sit in silence for a little while until Zack asks, "Did he...y'know... go farther than that."

"No," Ven says shaking his head. "No, he tried, but I fought him off. I got away from him."

Zack wraps his arms around Ven pulling him into a hug. Ven gratefully rests his head against Zack's strong chest feeling like he got a large weight off his chest. "I'm sorry Zack," Ven mumbles. "I was too weak. I couldn't stop him. I had to let him-"

"None of that," Zack says gently, cutting him off. "You don't need to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thanks Zack," Ven says and lifts his head up so they can kiss. It's soft and gentle, a big difference from the way Ven was kissing him before.

All of a sudden, Zack breaks their kiss, and Ven opens his eyes surprised to see Zack looking over his head. As Ven turns his head to see what he is looking at, he can hear children's laughter and the sound of running feet. It's coming from the alleyway that leads to the third district, and as it gets closer, Zack shifts around and Ven finds himself sitting next to Zack instead of leaning on him. Zack's hands, once holding him so comfortingly, are now clenched tight in his lap.

Four little kids run around the corner. Ven only recognizes one as Marlene. They barely notice Ven and Zack on the bench as they run past and disappear through the door by the fountain that leads to the back alley.

Once the door swings shut behind them, Zack wraps his arms around Ven once more. "Now where were we?" He says as he leans in to kiss Ven, but Ven stops him.

"What was that Zack?" Ven asks slowly.

"What was what?" Zack replies.

"You know what," Ven says angrily. "You pushed me away when those kids came."

"I...uh...yeah. I just...didn't want them staring at us," Zack says and tries to kiss Ven again.

Ven pulls out of Zack's arms and stands. "Why? Were we doing something wrong?" Ven asks feeling his anger rising.

"No!" Zack says jumping to his feet. "No, it's just that..." He trails off not knowing what he's trying to say.

"It's just that you don't want people to know about you and me," Ven says finishing his sentence.

"Why would you say that Ven?" Zack asks trying to take Ven's hand, but Ven takes a step back.

"Because that is how you've always acted!" Ven shouts in a hurt voice. "You don't want people to know I'm your boyfriend!"

"That's not true!" Zack shouts back. "Everyone knows you're my boyfriend."

"So then why do we have to act like it's a secret?" Ven asks. "The only time we ever hold hands or hug or kiss is when we're alone. Are you embarrassed? Are you embarrassed by me?"

"Of course not Ven!" Zack snaps back. "It's just...I'm uncomfortable alright!"

"Uncomfortable with what?" Ven shouts.

"I'm uncomfortable with...this," Zack says with a sigh. "With...being gay."

Both of them are silent for a moment, then Ven says in a quiet voice, "If that's how you feel then I'll just go." He starts to walk away, but Zack runs after him and makes him stop.

"Ven please don't-"

"Save it Zack," Ven says angrily. "If I make you uncomfortable...if you can't stand being seen with me, then...I never want to see you again!" He turns and runs up the steps.

"Ven! Ven wait!" Zack calls after him, but Ven keeps running. He makes it to the door to the 1st district and looks back. Zack tries one last time. "Please..."

But Ven's gone. As the doors close behind him, Zack hangs his head, a single tear running down his face and dripping to the ground. "Fine," Zack growls to himself. "If Ven can't accept that me the way I am then to hell with him." With that, Zack goes through the doors to the back alley, headed for the secret waterway where he could train and get all his anger against Ven out.

…

Terra, Aqua, and the rest of the current patrons of the 7th Heaven look up when the door opens and Ven comes running inside. "Ven?" Aqua says getting to her feet slowly. "Are you alright?"

Ven sniffs and quickly wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "Can we go home now?"

"What happened Ven?" Terra asks getting to his feet as well. When Ven doesn't respond, Terra asks, "Where's Zack?"

When Ven doesn't reply, Aqua tries again, "Ven what-"

"I broke up with him alright!" Ven shouts before wiping his eyes again.

At the bar, Tifa and Cloud exchange a look, and for once Cid has enough tact to keep his mouth shut.

"Ven-" Aqua begins, but Ven cuts her off.

"I don't want to talk about it," Ven says. "Can we just go home?"

Terra and Aqua exchange a look. "Yes," Aqua says. "We can go now."

Ven nods and exits the bar. Terra and Aqua give a final glance back at Tifa and Cloud before following him out.

After they leave, Cloud heads for the door. "I'm going to go find him."

"Maybe I should come too," Tifa says, but Cloud shakes his head.

"I got this."

Cloud immediately heads for the secret waterway, knowing Zack would have gone somewhere he can be alone. Inside, he finds Zack sitting against the wall of the cave with his head turned away from the entrance. "Zack," Cloud says quietly so as not to startle him.

"Go away," Zack mutters back.

Cloud walks over and sits next to Zack with a sigh. He waits, but Zack says nothing. "Ven told us you broke up," Cloud says. "What happened?"

"We fought and he said he never wanted to see me again!" Zack shouts. "Now if you're done prying I want to be alone."

Cloud doesn't leave, but he doesn't say anything. After a couple minutes, Zack says, "Isn't this the part where you tell me it'll be alright, and there are many fish in the sea or some bullshit like that?"

Cloud shurgs. "I can say that if you want. But here's the truth Zack," Cloud says. "Break ups suck."

Zack laughs humorlessly. "You can say that again."

"They also hurt," Cloud says. "I saw Ven before he left and I can tell you he was hurting just as bad as you are."

Zack is silent for a moment, then turns to face Cloud. Cloud can see Zack's eyes red with unshed tears. Zack asks him quietly, "Does it ever get better?"

"Yes," Cloud replies. "But it will take time."

* * *

**SnowKawasagi: Glad you liked it!**

**Zephyr26: Sora and Riku, when there is so much serious stuff going on they're just in the background doing random shit. XD**

**Mexi: So yeah...Ven and Zack had their date...probably not what you were hoping for...**

**robyn little: Don't worry, Aqua isn't going to get pregnant. **

**Soooo you probably are all wicked mad at me right now, but Ven was totally right! Zack never wanted to be seen in public with Ven, he was always dragging him to hidden places before kissing him. Think about it. They never even held hands in front of other people. **

**However, like I said last chapter, Vanitas is still screwing with Ven's emotions so he overreacted a little and thats why he was too angry to talk it out with Zack.**

**Now that this is posted I'm gonna go hide under my bed... **

***Zactus fangirls and boys find me* *drag me out* *beat me to a pulp* *leave***


	37. Master

Chapter 37 _Master_

Ven is awakened by a pounding on his door. "Get up Ven or you aren't getting any breakfast!" Terra's voice calls and groaning Ven opens his eyes. Rolling over he checks his clock. 9:36. With another groan he gets out of bed and begins to get ready all the while trying to keep his mind only on what he is doing. However, that only works for a minute before he finds himself staring out the window lost in thoughts of the day before.

After he had returned with Terra and Aqua to MEKA, they had asked him to tell them what had happened with Zack. He hadn't wanted to of course and had tried to get away, but Aqua had cornered him in the kitchen and forced him to talk. It wasn't until he had finished reliving the break up that he looked up to find that Master Eraqus had silently entered the room and had heard the entire story.

When the many attempts by his friends to cheer him up had all failed, Ven had found himself lying on his bed staring miserably at the ceiling for the rest of the day. After a subdued dinner, Ven had returned to his room and tried to go to sleep. He found he couldn't and stayed up until after 2 in the morning with thoughts of Zack dancing through his mind. And thus, he had failed to get up on time, forcing Terra to come and wake him up.

Now dressed, Ven makes his way downstairs. As the last one up, Ven finds himself the center of attention as he walks into the kitchen. Master Eraqus quickly gets to his feet saying, "We're having waffles this morning Ventus. I'll make you one."

With a murmur of thanks, Ven plops down at the table with the other apprentices. "Can I have another waffle?" Sora asks hopefully.

"No, three's the limit," Master Eraqus replies. Ven's waffle finishes and he places it in front of him. Ven digs in right away while he listens to Master Eraqus explain their lesson for the day.

"Today I am going to be teaching you a new form of magic. Well, it's only totally new to you Ventus and Riku. Terra and Aqua, you have already dabbled in this, but there is still more you can learn. To put it simply they are abilities. The magic of your keyblade can be channeled by you to enhance your normal performance. You can run faster and jump higher as well as create specialized attacks. Now, the best way to learn abilities is to just try them out so let's move this discussion to the training room."

With haste, Ven stuffs the last of his waffle in his mouth and follows the others to the large room. Along the way, Sora asks, "Master Eraqus, can I learn abilities too?"

"No, you will not be able to do abilities," Master Eraqus replies and Sora pouts unhappily. "Don't worry, you can still be a great swordsman without such magic." Sora's face visible brightens as they enter the training room.

When they are all standing before him in the training room, Master Eraqus calls Aqua forward. "Please demonstrate the abilities you already know."

Aqua nods and moves a little ways away to give herself space. "Fire!" She calls as she does a cartwheel. To Ven's surprise, fire engulfs her for a brief instant before vanishing to leave her unharmed.

"That is called Firewheel," Master Eraqus says. "Now, I want you to remember that not everyone is able to perform the same abilities. However, there are two that every keyblade wielder is able to do. Terra if you would please." Terra moves to where Aqua had been standing. "One is called High Jump and, as it's name implies, it simply means you can jump higher than seems possible."

With a nod from Master Eraqus, Terra jumps and the three younger apprentices gasp as he goes twice as high as normal. When Terra lands Master Eraqus says, "The second one is called Air Slide." Master Eraqus gestures to Terra. He seems to run forward only his feet don't touch the ground and his movement is so fast Ven blinks in surprise seeing that Terra has crossed the room in only a second.

"Holy shit! How do you do that?" Ven asks impressed.

"Ventus," Master Eraqus says in a hard voice. He is staring pointedly and Ven follows his eyes to Sora and Riku standing beside him looking at him innocently.

"Sorry," Ven says to Master Eraqus.

With a sigh, Master Eraqus lets it drop. "Terra and Aqua you may practice the abilities you already know while I instruct Ventus and Riku on the basics. Sora, even though you will not be able to do the abilities you can still listen to the lesson."

Terra and Aqua move to opposite side of the training room to do as Master Eraqus asks while the younger apprentices gather around their teacher. "These abilities are easiest to learn with you keyblade in your hand, but once you master them you will be able to summon the magic without holding your keyblade." Ven and Riku both summon their keyblades in preparation and Master Eraqus nods. "Alright, High Jump is as simple as getting in touch with the magic and jumping as you normally would. It will be hard to control at first, but you'll adjust quickly."

Ven, having already learned to get in touch with the magic inside him, easily found it and took a deep breath before jumping. It is almost as if there is another force under him pushing him up and he finds himself twice as high in the air as he could normally get. He reaches the top of his jump and begins to fall back to the ground. For a moment he is afraid of hitting the ground hard, but the force under him slows his descent and he lands lightly.

Grinning with pride, Ven practices jumping as Riku struggles to perform the ability. After a couple more minutes and a few words of encouragement from Sora, Riku succeeds. "Alright," Master Eraqus says with a smile. "Next you can try Air Slide. This one is a little harder. I believe it is easiest to imagine that you are trying to skate across the ground. As before, get in touch with the magic and then attempt to move."

It takes both Ven and Riku several tries to succeed, but as soon as he does it right, Ven does it multiple times because it is just so much fun to move around like that. Master Eraqus leaves them to continue to practice while he moves over check on Terra and Aqua.

…

Half an hour later, Terra is practicing an attack called Ars Solum on three dummies in one corner while Aqua is standing in the middle of a crowd of dummies practicing a move called Magic Hour that she is currently struggling to master. Master Eraqus has just given Riku and Ven a break from their practicing and they are spending it questioning Sora who is doing a handstand against the wall.

"How long are you gonna do that Sora?" Ven asks craning his neck to look at Sora's face which is turning purple from all the blood rushing to his head.

"Forever," Sora replies stubbornly.

"You can't do that forever," Riku says challengingly.

"Maybe you can't but I can," Sora says confidently, but then winces slightly. "My head kinda hurts though."

"Sora, why are you doing that?" Master Eraqus asks as he comes over.

"I'm bored of watching the others practice," Sora says unhappily.

Master Eraqus nods in understanding. "What would you rather do?"

"I wanna go outside!" Sora says immediately coming down from his handstand.

"Alright," Master Eraqus says. "Just remember the rule of playing outside by yourself."

"Stay in sight of the castle!" Sora shouts before running off. On his way out he grabs his wooden sword. After going out the front doors, Sora races down the steps and goes to where the gold training rings are. He knows from experience that he isn't strong enough to move them so he instead starts fighting off imaginary enemies.

"Take that! And that!" He cries as he stabs the air. As imaginary enemy after enemy falls to Sora's wooden sword heavy footsteps come up behind him. Thinking it's one of his friends, Sora slew the final enemy before spinning around with his sword raised. His sword lowers as he breaks into a huge smile. "Hi!"

…

Deciding that Ven and Riku had become proficient enough at High Jump and Air Slide, Master Eraqus moved them on to something more challenging. As he had said, not every keyblade wielder is able to perform all the abilities, but both Ven and Riku succeeded in using Strike Raid. Now all they had to do was learn accuracy.

For what felt like the millionth time, Ven throws his keyblade end over end at the dummy positioned twenty feet in front of him. His keyblade spins through the air, glowing with magic, but it veers off course. It misses the dummy by inches. Ven sighs in annoyance as it turns like a boomerang and comes back to his hand.

Riku is struggling beside him with his brow furrowed in concentration. His throws are even more wild than Ven's and they are only getting worse as the young boy tires from the long work out. Master Eraqus notices this quickly and calls out in a loud voice, "I believe that is enough for today. We can resume this lesson tomorrow."

Ven and Riku both gratefully let their keyblades disappear from their hands as they make their way to the fridge full of bottles of water kept in the training room. Ven reaches in and pulls out four bottles. He hands one to Riku and the other two to Terra and Aqua when they come over as well. Ven takes a big gulp and sighs gratefully at the cool water.

"The four of you worked hard so rest and I will prepare lunch," Master Eraqus says as he moves towards the kitchen. Before he leaves the training room, he calls over his shoulder, "Oh, and someone needs to go get Sora."

"I got it," Ven says downing the rest of his water in a couple mouthfuls. The others nod and Ven heads outside to look for him.

As he walks outside, he glances to the brilliant blue sky. Is it just him or is it the exact same shade as Zack's eyes? Frowning, Ven forces himself to look at the ground under his feet instead shaking himself from those thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking about Zack. He broke up with him. He doesn't want to see him ever again...right? That is what he had said to Zack, but now a day later Ven would have given anything to take those words back.

Lost in his thoughts, Ven barely notices where he is going as he follows the path to the gold rings. It isn't until he accidently kicks something in the grass that he is shaken from his thoughts. Stooping, Ven picks up Sora's toy sword. Standing back up, Ven glances around. "Sora? Sora where are you?" Ven calls. Dropping the toy sword back in the grass, Ven hurries up the path into the mountains continuing to call for Sora.

"Sora! Where the hell are you little man?" Ven calls as he reaches the spot he had watched the sunrise from once. Sora is still nowhere to be found and Ven is trying his best not to panic. He walks to the edge of the plateau and looks out at the castle below him. Maybe Sora had snuck back inside unnoticed while they were practicing. He definitely isn't outside.

Ven hears heavy footsteps in the grass and turns with relief expecting to see Terra coming to tell him they had found Sora, but instead it was an old man with a bald head and an ugly grey goatee. Surprised Ven asks, "Who are you?"

"You don't remember me boy? I changed your life, I gave you purpose," the old man says his voice rasping. He continues to walk towards Ven with his hands clasped behind his back.

"What do you mean by that?" Ven asks feeling a hatred for this man blossom out of nowhere. His hands at his sides curl into fists and it takes all his self control not to summon his keyblade.

The old man cackles, "I mean exactly what I said. You owe every moment of your pitiful existence to me."

No longer able to keep his anger and fear of this strange and creepy man at bay, Ven's keyblade appears in small flash of light in his hand.

The man's lips curl into a smile and he stares with a hungry look at the keyblade in Ven's hand. "Yes, your keyblade and your heart are mine," he says.

"I don't know who the hell you are or what you're high on, but I don't belong to anyone. Especially not some old fucker like you," Ven says putting all his malice into his voice hoping to scare the man off but instead the old man cackles again.

"Boy, if only you knew who you were dealing with," he says still laughing but his eyes show no humor. "Is that anyway to speak to your master?"

"You are not my master!"

"Ignorant neophyte, I am Master Xehanort. I am the one who gave the gift of the keyblade to you. I was unfortunately delayed by that meddling Eraqus, but I have come to claim you as my apprentice and teach you the ways to gain unlimited power!" With the last words Xehanort lifted his arm up to his face curling his fingers in like he could feel the power he spoke of.

"Well I'm sorry you made the trip here for nothing, 'cause I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm happy here," Ven says pointing his keyblade at Xehanort to keep him from getting too close.

"What you want is of no importance. Your life and your remarkable heart have belonged to me since that day nearly ten years ago when I passed the power of the keyblade onto you. Don't you remember? You begged me then to let you come with me, Ventus."

Xehanort, speaking his name for the first time, triggers the memory Ven has been searching his brain for.

_**It was raining. Had been all day. The dark streets were hidden beneath puddles and a young boy, maybe five years old, jumped from puddle to puddle giggling as the water splashed his already soaked clothes. He made his way down the empty street in this fashion until he jumped into one puddle and a neoshadow jumped out.**_

_**The boy gasped in fear and fell back with a splash. Two more neoshadows rose out of the dark puddles and together they advanced on the helpless boy. But one after the another they vanished except for a small pink heart rising up and disappearing into the storm clouds. A man with gray hair stood in the spot where the heartless had been. He reached down to the boy and gently pulled his cowering arms away. He helped the boy to his feet and the child's big blue eyes stared at him in awe. "What is one so young with such a remarkable heart doing wandering these dangerous streets alone?" He mused and then said, "Go home boy." He turned his back to the boy and began to walk away.**_

_**"You're from another world aren't you mister."**_

_**The man froze and turned back to face the boy. "Where did you hear about other worlds? They are supposed to be a secret."**_

_**"Tay told me," the boy said like that explained all. "But don't worry I'm the bestest secret keeper."**_

_**The man stared at the young boy with an expression of intense interest. A sneer spread across his face. "Well if you are the best then I can let you in on another secret," the man said this as he watched the boy's eyes widen in excitement. He summoned his keyblade and crouched down letting the boy get a close look at it. "This is a keyblade. It lets me travel to other worlds."**_

_**The young boy reached out with his hand then pulled it back hesitantly. The man laughed ending on a dark note. "Go ahead. Feel its power."**_

_**The boy placed his hand on the hilt and the man said with a hint of misplaced glee, "In your hand take this key, and if you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you will one day be. And you will find me friend, no ocean can contain you then. No borders around, or below, or above, as long as you champion the ones you love."**_

_**The large keyblade glowed slightly under the boy's small hand. Xehanort straightened up a twisted grin on his face. "What's your name boy?"**_

_**"Ventus," the child said staring down at his hand with a confused look. The man nodded and turned walking away once again. "Wait!" The boy shouted and ran in front of the man. "Take me with you! I want to see other worlds. Please let me come!"**_

_**The man laughed and ruffled the boy's spiky blond hair. "Not today," he said pushing the boy out of his way with the hand on his head. He continued to walk down the street and the boy watched him go with a frown. "But don't worry," he called back, "I'll be back, Ventus."**_

Ven opens his eyes as the memory fades away to see Xehanort sneering at him. "You see boy, I am your master. And it is time for you to become my apprentice."

Ven is silent, glancing between the keyblade in his hand and the man who had ruined his life. Xehanort had given him the keyblade and left him to defend himself. All the misery in Ven's life stemmed from the object in his hand. "I will never be your apprentice," Ven says quietly and then louder as his anger infuses into his voice, "You may have given me this power but you didn't teach me how to use it. I taught myself. Tay taught me, Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua taught me. They are the only ones fit to be my masters. You...you are nothing. Less than nothing. You have no control over me. Get out! I never want to see your ugly face again!"

A dangerous light entered Xehanort's eyes and without emotion he snapped his fingers. Armored knight heartless appeared behind him swords drawn. "Last chance boy, come quietly or face the consequences."

"Go to hell you bastard."

Xehanort sighs, but he isn't unhappy. He smiles and the knights charge forward as a group.

Ven shouts, "Thunder!" And forks of lightning spring out of his raised keyblade, striking the front two knights. They stumble but continue to run towards him. Ven swings his keyblade around taking the head of the first one off in a single well placed hit. Its comrade stabs at Ven who easily blocks its sword and knocks it back half a step. Before it can recover he slashes down on it and it disappears. He immediately jumps into the air as a claw slashes underneath him. He twists in the air to land facing the rest of the armored knights that have snuck around to attack him from behind.

Two rush at him and he uses Air Slide, moving between the two of them. Before they can turn around to face him, he dispatches them in a quick combo. The clanking of armor alerts him that there are still more and he turns shouting, "Fire!" A fireball explodes out of his keyblade and hits his nearest assailant like a homing missile. Ven leaps into the air once more coming down onto top of three more huddled together, no match for his aerial attack.

One of the remaining knights tries to imitate him by jumping into the air at him. Ven jumps back into the air meeting it with a powerful combo. As he falls back the final heartless follows its fallen comrade jumping at Ven as well. Ven throws his keyblade end over end with little hope of it hitting his target. Surprisingly, Ven watches as his Strike Raid cuts straight through the armored knight. He lands on the balls of his feet as his keyblade, acting like a boomerang, flies back into his hand. After a moment he relaxes seeing there are no more heartless to fight.

"Very impressive. I see I choose a worthy candidate."

Ven has his back to Xehanort but stiffens at his words. Without turning he replies, "Leave me alone old man. I don't want anything to do with you."

"You may want to reconsider my offer. I can be very persuasive if I have to be," Xehanort says in a cold voice.

"There is nothing you can do to make me go with you," Ven says confidently.

"Ven?"

The small voice makes Ven's heart stop. He spins around to see Xehanort holding Sora tightly by his right arm. Xehanort's smile is so large he is bearing his teeth. "Oh yes. You will do what I want or you will never see little Sora again."

* * *

**Isn't Xehanort so evil?!**

**AquaTitaniaMiyuki: I was going for unexpected so I'm glad I succeeded. **

**Zephyr26: I'd say poor Ven is right, why am I so mean to him? Oh yeah, 'cause it makes a good story.**

**MLSoT: I know it was mean, but I'm glad you could see why they had to break up.**

**Mexi: The story goes on so don't die on me! And thanks for saving me from the fangirls and boys :)**

**robyn little: Nope I have no plans for anyone in this story to 'do it'.**

**CLIFFHANGER! :P If you're dying to know what happens next I'll give you a hint: Next chapter is going to be called **_**X-blade**_**. **

**Loving the all the reviews I'm getting so keep it up people! :)**


	38. X-blade

Chapter 38 _X-blade_

"Let him go you bastard! He has nothing to do with this!" Ven shouts pointing his keyblade at Xehanort. He is actually shaking with anger. This Xehanort guy is bad news and Ven is not about to let Sora get dragged into his twisted plans.

"On the contrary, Sora is going to be very helpful. Isn't that right Sora?" Xehanort's says leaning over Sora forcing him to look up. "I need Ventus to do exactly what I say and if he doesn't then I'm going to have to do something I'd rather not describe." Xehanort summons his keyblade and rests it against the little boy's cheek. Sora lets out a gasp and tries to pull away, but Xehanort has him in a vice grip.

Ven can't take it anymore and he charges at Xehanort with a growl of fury. Xehanort looks up and smirks. He jerks Sora in front of him as a human shield forcing Ven to nearly fall as he skids to a stop. He glares at Xehanort with more hatred than he has ever felt before in his life. He is close enough to them now to see the tears forming in Sora's big blue scared eyes.

"It's going to be okay Sora. Don't cry. I swear he won't hurt you. I won't let him," Ven says as calmly as possible in the current situation.

"So you accept my offer boy?"

Ven lets his keyblade disappear and his hands fall to his sides. "I'll do what you want just let him go."

Xehanort laughs mirthlessly at him and lets his keyblade disappear as well. He keeps his grip on Sora and uses his now free hand to summon a dark swirling portal out of thin air. "I'm not about to let my trump card go just yet. I will keep him around a little longer to make sure you don't step out of line." With that he easily tosses Sora through the portal.

"Sora!" Ven calls as Sora goes through with a small scream.

Ven summons his keyblade again and prepares to attack Xehanort once more.

"Ah ah ah," Xehanort says waging a crooked finger at him. "If you don't put that away I might just close that portal and then what will become of little Sora?"

Ven is about to explode with rage. The glint in Xehanort's eyes shows he is enjoying this and it makes Ven want to scream. But he fights to get his emotions under control. He has to be calm and go along with this psychopath to keep Sora safe. With an enormous effort he forces his keyblade to vanish and crosses his arms to keep himself from summoning it again.

"That's better boy. You will learn to do as I say or things will become a little messy if you know what I mean."

Ven ignores his comment and runs through the dark portal after Sora trying not to think of what Xehanort is going to do to them next.

As soon as he goes through everything became eerily quiet. He can see nothing and do nothing. Everything is just black and empty and it presses down on him with the weight of its power.

As suddenly as it had surrounded him the darkness goes away and he stumbles onto solid ground. The first thing he sees is Sora sitting on the ground holding a scraped elbow. "Sora!" Ven runs to his side and gently tips the younger boy's head up. "I'm sorry Sora. I'm so sorry. I don't know how this happened but I swear I will get you out of this."

"Ven where are we? I want to go home," Sora says whining as he continues to rub his scraped up arm.

"I don't know Sora," Ven says looking around. The portal is gone and the world they are on is desolate. The ground appears to be made completely out of rust colored rock and Ven can see nothing from horizon to horizon. The ground is cracked and Ven can feel sharp edges poking him as he knelt next to Sora. "That bast- I mean, Xehanort sent us here."

"I expect you to only refer to me as Master boy."

Xehanort suddenly appears about 20ft away from them through another portal which also disappears as he steps out. Ven jumps to his feet and whirls around to face him. Sora jumps up as well and hugs Ven's leg from behind peering at Xehanort around Ven's hip. Ven puts one hand on Sora's head protectively and summons his keyblade with the other pointing it at Xehanort.

"Tell me what the hell you want!" Ven shouts at Xehanort his angered fueled by Sora's nearly inaudible whimpering.

"It is simple," Xehanort says walking towards them with his hands clasped behind his back. "I want you to form for me the X-blade."

"Keyblade?" Ven says out of curiosity, but also to keep Xehanort talking until he comes up with a plan.

"Not the keyblades you and I carry. 'X' A most ancient letter. Some say 'kye', but the meaning is the same. Death. A letter that spells endings. And you, boy, have the power to make it," Xehanort says pointing a crooked finger at Ven's chest. "The light and darkness in your heart exist in such a balance almost never found in a single person. This balance is what is needed. A constant clash of light and dark, and when the darkness wins as it always does, the X-blade will be formed."

As he had spoken Xehanort had moved closer to Ven and at his last words he placed his finger right over Ven's heart. "Ugh," Ven gasps in pain falling to his knees.

"Ven!" Sora cries in worry, but his voice sounds far away to Ven. He clutches his head hearing Vanitas' evil laugh echo through his mind.

_Time to fight Ven._

Vanitas whispers and the pressure Ven had felt on Carinol returns threatening to crush him.

"That's right," Xehanort says happily walking around Ven and taking Sora's arm in his vice grip once more. "Fight. Pure light against pure darkness, to forge the ultimate key. The all powerful X-Blade!"

Ven bites his lip to keep from screaming out in pain. He cracks his eyes open just enough to see Xehanort turn away, dragging Sora with him. With an extreme effort, Ven pushes the pressure off him and hears Vanitas roar in fury just before his voice disappears once more. The pain gone, Ven gets to his feet and summons his keyblade. With a growl of anger, he runs at Xehanort's turned back and slashes down at him with his keyblade. In the blink of an eye, Xehanort turns to face him and Ven's attack bounces harmlessly off the old man's larger keyblade.

"It is futile to try and avoid your destiny," Xehanort says.

"Shut up!" Ven cries as he charges forward again. Their keyblades lock and Ven glares over them at Xehanort. Xehanort however smiles back and with a quick movement flicks his keyblade, sending Ven's keyblade flying out of his hand. Disarmed, Ven doesn't have anyway to protect himself as Xehanort kicks him hard in the stomach causing him to fly back, skidding across the rocky surface on his back.

"Ven!" Sora calls again, trying to run to him, but Xehanort holds him back.

As Ven struggles to sit up, he shouts at Xehanort, "Let him go you bastard!"

Xehanort ignores his words and begins to speak again. "Do you know what place this is?" Ven, having propped himself up on his elbows, says nothing. "On this barren soil, keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless  
keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key. It had the power to bring ruin and devastation. And in that darkness the most powerful light was found. Creation brought about by ruin. It leaves us to wonder what could be created from a second keyblade war? I must have these answers. The X-blade needs to be forged. Give in and fight. Fight and gain the power of legends. The power to bring change to the worlds forever!" Xehanort points to Ven. "X-blade!"

As Xehanort's words echo through the empty world, Ven slowly gets to his feet. His keyblade, which Xehanort had sent flying, reappears in his hand. Ven grips it so tight his knuckles turn white, but he speaks in an even voice. "No."

In a flash, his keyblade disappears and Ven stares calmly at Xehanort. "You want to bring darkness to the worlds and I won't help you. You need me to fight to form your precious X-blade? Well I'm not going to fight."

Xehanort's eyes burn with anger, but he regains his composure quickly. "You seem to have forgotten the consequences of your refusal." Xehanort jerks Sora's arm causing him to cry out in pain as Xehanort forces him to stand before him. "Little Sora's heart is not balanced like yours, but it is special. His heart will take in any without a home. It would be ever so easy to turn his heart dark. If you refuse, he will just have to take your place."

Ven clenches his fists and growls in anger, but he can't take his eyes off of Sora's terrified eyes. With a sigh, he hangs his head in defeat. "Don't hurt him," Ven says quietly. "I'll do anything you want, just leave him alone."

"Wonderful," Xehanort says with an evil smirk. Before Ven can protest, Xehanort and Sora teleport away leaving Ven standing alone. Frantic, Ven looks all around for where he had taken Sora, but Xehanort's voice causes him to spin around and look up to the cliff where the two of them now stood. "Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart. Release them, here and now!"

All of a sudden, Neoshadows appear out of the ground all around Ven. They eye him carefully and he glares angrily back. For a moment, he stands there defenseless knowing that by fighting he is giving into Xehanort's dark plan, but he can't let Sora be hurt. It doesn't matter what sacrifices Ven is willing to make because Sora's safety had to come before all else. His arms hang at his sides as his keyblade appears in a flash. Seeing it, the heartless move closer and still he doesn't move. As a mindless group, the neoshadows rush at him together, and just when they are nearly upon him he lashes out with his keyblade. In the aftermath of his attack, one lone pink heart floats away.

Now accepting that he has to do what must be done, Ven launches into an attack against the remaining neoshadows. Every swing of his keyblade fells another heartless, but there is always one more to take its place. As he fights, claws scratch his unprotected back, but he barely feels them. Ven loses track of time and count, but over an hour and a thousand of heartless later he knows he can go on no further.

Fighting off a group of three, Ven jumps away to a safe distance. "I'm not strong enough!" Ven calls up to Xehanort still watching from the cliff with Sora.

"Sharpen your fear into rage!" Xehanort commands, and Ven glances around to see himself circled by nearly fifty more heartless. The sight of them makes his knees buckle and he falls to the ground exhausted. "You must! If you do not let the storm within you run its course, it  
will wipe you from the face of the world, make no mistake!" Seeing Ven so close to defeat, the neoshadows move a little closer. "Do it. Embrace the darkness. Produce for your Master the X-blade!"

At his words, Ven screams in fear as the neoshadows all jump on him. Their weight presses him to the ground as their sharp claws scratch at him. The pressure on his head returns and with each cut the pressure increases.

_Let me out! I can save us again!_

Vanitas' voice is not at all scared. He is excited...happy.

_The power of the X-blade is ours to control. Nothing will be able to stop us. We can be more powerful than anyone ever was!_

The pressure is too much. Vanitas' voice in his ear, the heartless scratching at him, Xehanort's threats against Sora...he wants them all to stop. Vanitas could make it all stop. He could bring an end to it all. Forging the X-blade for themselves, not for Xehanort.

_That's right! It is our power and we can do what we want with it. Incredible strength, unbelievable power. The worlds will be at our feet. Let me out and we can-_

"_**You are the only one with the power to suppress him. Ventus, no matter how scared you get you must not let Vanitas out again. There is no telling what he would do if he had control of your body again."**_

Master Eraqus' words burst out of Ven's memories drowning out Vanitas. Master Eraqus had known of the X-blade; he had known of Ven's terrible power. That is the secret he had been keeping, the reason he had wanted to protect Ven.

"_**I trust you to do the right thing..."**_

Master Eraqus had always known there would come a time when Ven would have to make this decision. Xehanort had been right to tell Ven that he couldn't avoid his destiny. Like Master Yen Sid had said, he could bring about a good or bad change to the worlds and it was Ven's decision in this moment that could decide that, that is why Master Yen Sid hadn't been able to predict which would happen.

"I won't fight!" Ven shouts letting his keyblade disappear. "I won't fight!"

_You idiot!_

Vanitas' scream in accompanied by a doubling of the pain in his head.

"You would rather die than use the power?" He hears Xehanort's voice from somewhere up above the hoard of heartless still scratching at him.

With his last ounce of strength, Ven is able to utter one last word, "Yes."

…

"Let me go! Let me go! Stop it! Ven! Ven!" Sora screams as he tries to wrench his arm from Xehanort's grip. Ven is trapped under all those heartless and Xehanort is doing nothing to stop it. "Make them stop!" Sora shouts. "They're hurting him!"

Xehanort continues to ignore him as he glares down at the sea of heartless Ven had disappeared under. He waits expectantly, but the boy does not arise. "Feckless neophyte," Xehanort spits.

"Make them stop! Ven! Ven!" Sora is still screaming and with a growl of anger, Xehanort throws him backwards. Sora lands hard and starts to cry as he sits up. Xehanort is now nowhere in sight and with fear, Sora crawls back to the edge of the cliff and looks down.

The heartless have all vanished without a trace and Ven is lying face down on the ground. "Ven," Sora whispers to himself too scared to do anything but watch. Xehanort walks forward to stand over Ven with his hands clasped behind his back. For a moment he leans down to observe Ven silently, then he uses a foot to turn Ven over on his back.

Sora can see that Ven's eyes are open, staring up at the sky, but they are glazed over like he isn't really seeing it. Xehanort is talking to Ven, but Sora is too far away to hear what is being said. When he finishes speaking, Xehanort summons his keyblade and raises it over Ven as if to stab him in the chest with it. "No!" Sora screams as a light forms on the end of Xehanort's keyblade and a thin stream of energy shoots from the keyblade, striking Ven in the chest.

Ven screams out in pain and Sora starts to cry harder at the sound. With a final glance back at the scene below, Sora turns searching for a way down to Ven. The spot he had been watching from is too steep to climb down, but a little ways away there is an area where the sides slope enough for Sora to climb down. As he climbs, Ven continues to scream, and Sora continues to cry.

Halfway down, Ven's scream dies away except for the slight echo and that too fades leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Sora quickly climbs down the rest of the way and ten feet from the bottom his foot slips on a loose rock. He tumbles to the bottom and when he comes to a stop he curls into a ball whimpering in pain from the scrapes he had gotten on his knees and palms.

"What is your name creature?"

Xehanort's voice calls out through the silence and Sora uncurls as he looks up to see Xehanort still standing beside Ven's prone body. Another boy is with them now. His entire body is covered in a black and red bodysuit with a mask over his face.

"Vanitas," the masked boy replies in a voice that makes Sora shiver.

As quietly as possible he moves behind a large rock and peeks over the top to watch what is happening. Xehanort cackles and Sora ducks his head in fright.

"Darkness from Ventus riven, I have given you your own existence. I am your master," Xehanort says and Sora gathers the courage to peek over the rock again.

"Yes, Master," Vanitas says and Xehanort cackles again.

Xehanort then moves to Ven's side and prods him with his foot. Ven doesn't respond at all and Xehanort shakes his head. "Weak. He was too afraid to use his true power. Those who fear the darkness will always be crushed by its power."

Vanitas turns his masked face to stare down at Ven as well. He looks up when Xehanort summons a dark corridor. "Ventus is close to his end," Xehanort states in an angry voice. "I'll come back for him when I have decided what can be done to salvage my plan, until then your training must begin at once."

He goes through the dark corridor and Vanitas moves to follow. Just before he goes through, Vanitas looks back at Ven. A moment passes, and Vanitas turns his head to stare at Sora's hiding place. Sora gasps in fear and crouches lower, but Vanitas turns away and walks through the corridor which disappears behind him.

Sora stays in his hiding place for a minute, his legs shaking too much to be able to walk. Ven doesn't move and Sora finally starts to crawl to him. When he reaches Ven, Sora puts his hands on his chest and shakes him gently. "Ven? Ven you gotta wake up," Sora says starting to cry again. "We gotta go home." Ven remains as still as ever, his eyes are closed and he is barely breathing. Sora starts to sob. "Ven! Ven I'm so scared. Please wake up! Please!" Sobbing, Sora lies down next to Ven, burying his face in Ven's chest. "Wake up Ven. Please wake up."

But the only movement on the barren, rocky plain is Sora shaking with the strength of his sobs, and soon even that stills as he succumbs to sleep.

* * *

**MLSoT: Sooo...it's not the end of the story. It's like a super dramatic middle that seems like it should be the climax but it's actually not...yeah there is still lots to go. As for the sequel it is going to jump ten years and focus on Sora for the most part. **

**Zephyr26: Maybe Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus will come to help next chapter...if it's not too late.**

**SnowKawasagi: I guess I think of Riku's keyblade as the Way to Dawn keyblade only miniature in size because he's a little kid.**

**VANITAS! Yep he's no longer in Ven's heart. He's got his own body and Xehanort has taken him as an apprentice.**

**Just a heads up, I jammed/fractured my thumb at softball yesterday and typing is kind of annoying right now. I already had this chapter typed from last week so I'm putting it up now, but next chapter isn't even half done. I'm going to try and have it done by Thursday because I'm going away for the weekend and won't be able to work on it then. I'll do my best, but an update might take slightly longer than normal. :(**


	39. A Light That Never Goes Out

Chapter 39 _A Light That Never Goes Out_

"Did you find them?" Aqua asks anxiously from the top of the steps outside. Riku stands beside her holding her hand as Master Eraqus and Terra return from a search of the grounds.

Master Eraqus shakes his head in worry. "No, there was no sign of them except this." He holds up Sora's wooden toy sword.

"It was just lying in the grass, like it had been forgotten there," Terra says quietly.

Riku's grip on her hand tightens slightly and Aqua looks down. His turquoise eyes are confused and worried. "Master Eraqus," Aqua says slowly, looking back at her teacher. "What's going on?"

Master Eraqus thinks for a moment and sighs. "Xehanort. It has to be." The venom in his voice shocks Aqua. She has never heard that name before.

"Who is Xehanort?" Aqua asks fearing the answer without really knowing why.

"He is Ventus' true master," Master Eraqus forces out like it hurts him to admit it. "And pure darkness."

…

Ven can feel himself floating, but he sees nothing, nothing but darkness. He is alone and it is quiet. Tired, he closes his eyes, the darkness behind his eyelids somehow less intimidating than the darkness he is engulfed in. He should be scared, he should be fighting, but he's tired and it is peaceful to float in the darkness.

"Hey, where am I?"

The voice cuts through the silence and Ven's eyes jerk back open. "Who's there?" He calls back and a bright light appears in front of him. It grows brighter and closer. The warmth it gives off is familiar it reminds him of... "Sora?"

"Ven!" Sora's energetic shout comes from within the light as it reaches Ven and engulfs him, driving away the darkness.

The light fades, but the darkness around Ven as he falls isn't threatening. He continues to fall like he is sinking in water. Soon his body rights itself and he lands feet first on a glowing white platform. He looks to his left to see a jagged edge where part of the platform had been broken off. "This is...my heart..." Ven says slowly looking at the broken part, saddened by the loss. "Sora?" He calls out hesitantly not sure if had imagined the voice from before.

"I'm here Ven."

Sora's voice comes from somewhere high above, and even though Ven can't see him he can feel the light of his presence. "Why are you in my heart?" Ven asks.

"The light brought me. I followed it here," Sora's voice replies.

"Yeah. That was my light," Ven says sadly looking once again at the broken edge of his heart. "But my heart is fractured. And now the little I have left is slipping away."

"Then you should join your heart with mine."

Ven looks up confused. "Huh?"

A shimmering white light catches his attention and he turns to see the lost area being filled in by this new light. Soon his heart is whole once more.

"Now our hearts have touched. Nothing else will slip away. And one day you'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did."

"Right," Ven says laying a hand on his chest. "Thanks Sora."

"It's time to wake up now, Ven. All we need to do is..."

"Open the door," Ven says finishing Sora's sentence. He's not sure what it means, but he knows it's what needs to be done. At his words, the shining white floor beneath him breaks apart to reveal it is only masking what is beneath. The soft white pieces float away and Ven looks down to see a larger than life image of him sleeping on the platform. Everything about the platform is the same it had been the time he had come here after fighting the sea monster in Atlantica with one key difference. The masked boy who had been resting across from him and whose keyblade had been crossed with Ven's is gone. In his place are blue circles that contained the likenesses of his friends.

With a small smile of both happiness and loss, Ven closes his eyes and feels himself float up and away from the platform, back to the real world.

…

Sora wakes when Ven's body shifts under his head. Sitting up, Sora rubs his eyes, puffy from crying, and blinks as he see Ven sit up. The expression on Ven's face is hard to read. He seems confused and lost.

"Ven?" Sora asks quietly and Ven turns to him.

Pain. That is the expression on Ven's face. His eyes are haunting and his mouth is twisted in a hard frown.

"Can we go home Ven?" Sora asks.

Ven nods silently and rises to his feet. Sora gets to his feet and takes Ven's hand. It's cold and that scares Sora. Ven raises his other hand and a moment later a light corridor appears in front of them. Without a word, Ven leads Sora into it.

They emerge back on the plateau on the mountain overlooking MEKA where Xehanort had approached Ven. Seeing that they are home, Sora immediately tries to run down the path back to the castle, but he is stopped by the hand he is still holding onto Ven with. "Ven? We're home," Sora says tugging on his hand. "C'mon Ven."

Ven remains as still as a statue, staring sadly down at the ground at his feet. Sora slowly lets go of his hand and Ven's arm falls back to his side, limp. Sora's eyes widen in fear again, and with tears forming in his eyes, he turns from Ven. He sprints down the mountain path in search of the others.

…

Terra, Aqua, Master Eraqus, and Riku are all standing in the sitting room. The older apprentices and Master Eraqus are arguing while Riku stands in the corner hugging his arms around himself confused and scared by what is going on.

"We have to go search for them!" Terra shouts gesturing wildly with his hands.

"And where would you suggest we look?" Master Eraqus replies in a strained voice. "They could be on any world."

"So how are we going to find them?" Aqua asks worriedly.

"We have to start looking," Terra says. "Standing here isn't doing anything."

"Running off on a wild goose chase isn't going to help Ventus and Sora," Master Eraqus says. "We need a plan."

"Do you hear that?" Aqua says frowning.

"You just said they could be anywhere," Terra says to Master Eraqus as they both ignore Aqua. "Then we have to just check each world!"

"Xehanort wouldn't have taken them just anywhere," Master Eraqus replies as he starts to pace. "He would need somewhere secluded. It would be somewhere he knows well. We should check-"

"Shh!" Aqua says hushing the others and halting Master Eraqus' pacing. "Listen."

With no one talking, they can hear a soft pounding sound and an indistinct voice. It is coming from the front door and Aqua hurries in that direction with the others following behind. As they get closer they can tell it is Sora yelling through the door. "Master Eraqus! Terra! Aqua! Riku! Help! Please help!"

Aqua reaches the door first and wrenches it open only to be knocked several steps back by Sora hugging her. "Sora! What? Are you hurt?" She says shocked.

Instead of replying, he grabs her hand and tries to drag her out of the castle. He's crying and speaking too quickly to be understood. "Slow down Sora. What's happened?" Master Eraqus says crouching down to be at his level.

"There's something wrong with Ven!" Sora shouts sobbing. "You have to help him."

Having said that, Sora lets go of Aqua's hand and sprints back down the steps. The others are frozen in place for half a second before they take off after him. He leads them down the path, past the gold training rings and up the mountain. As they turn the final corner, the others halt as Sora rushes to Ven's side.

Ven takes no notice of any of them. He doesn't even react when Sora grabs his hand and tugs. "Look Ven," Sora says desperately. "It's Terra, Aqua, Master Eraqus and Riku."

Ven continues to stare at the ground as the others approach slowly. "Ventus?" Master Eraqus says hesitantly. Ven's only response is to blink slowly. He keeps his eyes on the ground. Terra and Aqua move to stand on either side of Ven as Sora backs away tears falling down his face. He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to see Riku looking at him with wide eyes. More tears fall from Sora's eyes as he hugs Riku tightly. Riku carefully guides Sora to sit down and lets Sora cry into his shoulder while he watches the others clustered around Ven

"Are you hurt Ven?" Aqua asks examining Ven. He has scratches all over his bare arms and his jacket is all ripped up in the back. "Curaga," Aqua says and Ven's injuries heal, but he remains as motionless as ever.

"What happened Ven?" Terra asks. Ven blinks again and grimaces. "Ven?" Terra asks and Ven suddenly grabs his head. He screams out a single piercing cry of pain and collapses unconscious to the ground. Terra just manages to catch him before his head hit the ground.

"Oh my god," Aqua says as she and Master Eraqus kneel beside Ven as Terra gently lies him on the grass. "What?...Why?..."

Master Eraqus puts a finger to Ven's neck, feeling for a pulse. He sighs in relief feeling it beating strongly under his finger. "He fainted," Master Eraqus says to calm Terra and Aqua. "I don't know why, but he's just unconscious."

"Ah, so the boy survived. How intriguing."

The rasping voice makes them all turn their heads and Master Eraqus jumps to his feet. "Xehanort!" He yells threateningly as the bald man walks calmly towards them from a dark corridor that disappears behind him. "What have you done?"

"I merely tried to show my apprentice his true power," Xehanort says with a shrug. "Unfortunately, your teachings have tainted him and caused him to resist his destiny. Still, he can be of use to me. For now, my quest for the legendary power will be postponed, but it is not over. See that the boy gets better, I will need him when the time comes."

Terra and Aqua frown angrily and move to step towards Xehanort, but Master Eraqus holds out an arm to stop them. "This ends here Xehanort," Master Eraqus growls. "I will once more banish you to the realm of darkness."

"Eraqus my old friend," Master Xehanort replies with a smile. "I cannot be defeated. Even my death would not put a halt in my plans. It is fate that the X-blade will be created once more and even you cannot stop fate."

"I do not intend to stop fate," Master Eraqus says summoning his keyblade. "I only intend to stop you."

Xehanort cackles and summons his keyblade as well. "You fear what you do not understand. Darkness is more powerful than light. You will never win."

"Light will always banish darkness to the coldest corners," Master Eraqus replies. "I fear nothing from shadows and the lost ones that lurk within them. Even if my light fails, there will always be another to push back the darkness."

"A noble sentiment Eraqus, but you are still woefully ignorant of the power of darkness." Saying this, Xehanort points up to the sky and the bright sunlight it cut off by dark purple clouds descending over the world.

"Master Eraqus-" Aqua tries to say, but he roughly pushes her and Terra behind him.

"Stay back." Master Eraqus closes his eyes for a moment and concentrates hard. When he opens them again a second later, a shimmering barrier has appeared, separating the two masters from the apprentices.

Terra and Aqua's protests are muffled by the barrier and Master Eraqus ignores them as he slowly walks to Xehanort. He stops within ten feet and the two of them stare each other down with their keyblades at their sides.

Master Eraqus is the first to move as he slowly falls into his battle stance. "You are not welcome on this world; it is no longer your home. Get out."

Gripping his keyblade tight in both hands, Master Eraqus runs at Xehanort, reaching him in less than a second. His overhead attack is easily blocked by Xehanort's large keyblade, but Master Eraqus had been expecting that and quickly recovers. With perfect balance, he side steps Xehanort's thrust and swings diagonally at Xehanort's hip. His keyblade only cuts through air however as Xehanort spins out of the way.

Using the momentum he had generated, Xehanort swings his keyblade horizontally at Master Eraqus. Master Eraqus blocks the keyblade just in time and the two of them become locked together in a test of strength. For a minute, there is nothing to hear except grunts of exertion from the two as beads of sweat trail down their faces and fall to the ground below. And then Xehanort starts to push Master Eraqus' keyblade back. It's less than an inch at first, barely noticeable, but soon Master Eraqus is forced back half a step.

"It has been ten years since we last clashed. Has old age weakened you Eraqus?" Xehanort says cackling. Instead of replying, Master Eraqus gives one final push against Xehanort's keyblade before jumping to the side. Xehanort turns with him and slashes at him quickly, but Master Eraqus easily jumps out of the way.

"Firaga!" Master Eraqus calls and an inferno blasts out of his keyblade enveloping a still smirking Xehanort. Master Eraqus holds the magic for several moments before letting the fire fade away. As the fire clears, Xehanort lunges out at Master Eraqus seemingly unaffected by the flames that had engulfed him. Master Eraqus is quick to block, but not quick enough as he is only able to deflect Xehanort's keyblade.

Master Eraqus let's out a small cry of pain as the deflected keyblade leaves a deep gash in his left shoulder. The sight of blood on his keyblade makes Xehanort grin even wider. "Cura," Master Eraqus whispers quickly as he jumps away to a safe distance. He feels the magic begin to work, but Xehanort reaches him before he is fully healed.

Ducking the keyblade swung at his head, Master Eraqus slices at Xehanort's legs opening a deep cut in his opponent's right thigh. Xehanort jumps back with a growl of anger, and Master Eraqus lunges at him in an overhead attack. In the blink of an eye, Xehanort raises his left hand and grabs hold of the hilt of Master Eraqus keyblade as it swings down at him stopping it at the height of it's arc. Master Eraqus, shocked by the speed and strength of Xehanort's grip, is unprepared to stop Xehanort as he slashes five times in less than a second at Master Eraqus' stomach leaving a bleeding gash each time.

Master Eraqus gasps at the sudden pain, and Xehanort releases his hold on Master Eraqus' keyblade. However, before Master Eraqus can perform a counterattack, Xehanort blasts him with a gust of wind so strong it knocks him clear of his feet and he slams into the ground back where he started. Master Eraqus tries and fails to rise to his feet, looking down at his stomach which is bleeding through his clothes. Too weak to keep it up any longer, the barrier he had created to keep his apprentices safe fades.

"Eraqus, my old friend, can you see that you cannot beat me," Xehanort says sneering as he walks towards him. "I have the power of darkness on my side. You are weak without it."

"Then it's a good thing he isn't alone," Terra says coldly as he and Aqua step forward to stand beside their master. As they point their keyblades at Xehanort he begins to laugh.

"Loyal aren't they Eraqus," Xehanort says as Aqua stoops and quickly cures Master Eraqus' wounds. When he rises to his feet once more, Xehanort says, "Very well, I will take my leave." He summons a dark corridor to his right. "When Ventus is stronger tell him I'll be waiting for him to see reason. He'll come around. It is his destiny to create for me the X-blade and I will see that it is fulfilled."

He goes to walk through the dark corridor, but pauses and almost as if it is a second thought he turns and points at Sora still huddled next to Riku. "And I'll take little Sora as well. His heart is most remarkable. He could be very useful."

Saying this, Xehanort points his keyblade at Sora who shrinks back with a whimper. Riku immediately jumps to his feet and places himself firmly in front of Sora. He summons his keyblade and points it at Xehanort, fixing him with a glare as well. Xehanort merely laughs at the young boy and goes to walk through the corridor, but is stopped by Sora's angry voice.

"Ven isn't bad. He won't help you. You-you basturd!"

Xehanort turns to see Sora had also gotten to his feet and had run in front of Riku. The little boy's bright blue eyes burn with anger as he glares at Xehanort with his small hands curled into fists at his sides. The purple clouds of darkness in the sky disappear as Xehanort takes the final step back to enter the dark corridor, but as it closes he smiles and lifts his keyblade up, firing a ball of darkness at Sora.

"Sora!" The others shout, but there isn't time for them to do anything. Sora screams in fear and covers his face with his arms. A flash of light appears in his hands just as the ball of darkness is about to reach him and when the light fades the darkness is gone, leaving Sora unharmed.

Slowly he lowers his arms and blinks, looking down. In his right hand is a keyblade. The others, who had been running to him, freeze, and stare wide eyed in surprise at him. For a moment Sora's eyes are glued to the silver keyblade with the gold handle before he screams again in shock and drops it. Upon hitting the ground it disappears in a flash and he sits, curling into ball.

The other keyblade wielders look at each other in shock, as they slowly make their way to him.

Riku is the first to reach him and asks confused, "Sora, you have a keyblade?"

"I don't know!" Came Sora's shrill response.

"What did he do to you and Ven?" Terra asks anxiously.

"I don't know!"

Eraqus asks, "Sora, did Ventus give you the keyblade?"

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!" Sora shouts starting to cry.

Aqua moves to him shooing away others. Gently, she picks him up and he latches onto her as he cries into her shoulder. Rocking him slightly and murmuring soothing words, Aqua looks over him at Master Eraqus with frightened eyes.

"Let's all return to the castle and sort out what is happening," Master Eraqus says quietly. Aqua nods to him as she walks back to the castle with Sora in her arms and Riku following her, glancing back occasionally at the others.

Terra and Master Eraqus return to Ven's side. He is as still as before with his eyes closed. "Do you think you can carry him Terra?" Master Eraqus asks and Terra nods sadly. Treating Ven like he is made of glass, Terra carefully lifts him into his arms, grunting at his dead weight. After adjusting Ven to sit more comfortably in his arms, Terra and Master Eraqus slowly walk down the mountain path neither saying a word, each too absorbed in their own thoughts and fears.

* * *

**MLSoT: Well there are going to be a couple more boyxboy pairings in the sequel, but I don't think any of them will be that random. **

**Mexi: Yay! Ven lives! **

**Zephyr26: Yeah after I wrote the last chapter I read it back over and realized I had used some of the same lines from Mufasa's death, but it worked so I kept it the way it was.**

**SnowKawasagi: And Sora's keyblade is a smaller version of the Kingdom Key. **

**So Xehanort's first plan to create the X-blade failed, but like he said he isn't about to give up. The second half of this story is going to lead up to his plan B. BUT before we get there I promised I would put Ven's life back together after destroying it so I'll work on that in the next couple chapters. **

**I've been working on outlining the sequel to this story and I gotta question for all you readers. **

_**What is your opinion of original characters?**_

**In the sequel Tay and Keric will still be minor characters in the story, but what do you think of me creating some others? Do you like OCs? Hate 'em? Main character OCs or keep their roles minor? Any opinion you have is wanted desperately! **


	40. Fate

Chapter 40 _Fate_

As soon as Aqua enters the castle with Sora and Riku, Sora wiggles out of her hold and drops to the ground. Before she can protest, he runs up the stairs with Riku chasing after him. "Sora wait!" She calls after him, but he doesn't slow down.

"Leave me alone!" He cries as he reaches the top of the stairs and disappears down the hallway in the direction of his and Riku's bedroom. Riku continues to follow Sora, but Aqua lets him go as she turns back to the front doors seeing Terra coming up the steps slowly with Ven in his arms.

Aqua rushes over to hold the door open and Terra nods in thanks as he comes inside followed by Master Eraqus. "Take him to his room Terra," Master Eraqus says quietly and Terra begins to make his way slowly up the stairs. "Aqua, go with him. I'll be up in a minute."

"Master Eraqus..." Aqua says her voice quivering slightly.

Master Eraqus turns to face her and tries to smile seeing the worry in her eyes. "We'll figure this out, Aqua. Don't worry. Ventus will wake up."

Slightly reassured, Aqua nods and follows Terra up the stairs. Master Eraqus weak smile fades to a frown as he sighs and also moves up the stairs. At the top, he turns in the opposite direction of the apprentices bedrooms and heads for his office. Once inside, he shuts the door and leans against it. His hands curl into fists and he squeezes his eyes tight. After several deep breaths, he opens his eyes and slowly relaxes his fingers.

With his mouth pressed in a hard line, Master Eraqus moves to his desk and quickly pulls out a blank piece of paper and a pen. In messy handwriting, he scribbles out a hasty letter.

_Yen Sid,_

_Xehanort was here. He took Ventus but failed to create the X-blade. That is all I know. Ventus is unconscious and Xehanort is gone. Please come as quickly as you can. _

_Eraqus_

Rising, Master Eraqus goes to the cage in the corner of his office where he keeps carrier pigeons. As soon as he opens the door, one of the birds flies out and lands on his desk. It stands still as Master Eraqus ties the letter to its leg and hops onto his outstretched finger. Taking it to the open window, Master Eraqus says, "To Master Yen Sid." The bird blinks in understanding and hops off his finger, stretching its wings in the breeze as it flies away. Master Eraqus watches it until it is out of sight before turning from the window and hurrying out of his office.

A minute later he comes to a halt in the doorway of Ven's room, looking in to see Ven laid out on his bed with a sheet pulled up to his chest. Terra and Aqua sit on the edge of the bed watching him with concern etched in each worry line on their faces. Terra is gently rubbing one of Aqua's hand while she is doing the same to Ven's limp hand.

As Master Eraqus comes in, both Terra and Aqua jump to their feet. "Has there been any change?" Master Eraqus asks as he reaches the bed and looks down at Ven's blank face.

"No," Terra says quietly.

Master Eraqus nods sadly. He isn't surprised. He sits on the bed where Aqua had been and places a hand on Ven's forehead. Again, Master Eraqus isn't surprised to find no fever. Running his hand gently through Ven's bangs, Master Eraqus says to Terra and Aqua, "Go find Sora. We need to know what happened."

Terra and Aqua make no move to leave and Master Eraqus turns to them, raising an eyebrow. Both are staring at him with determined expressions and Master Eraqus sighs inwardly knowing what they are going to ask. "What is going on?" Aqua asks. "Who is Xehanort? What did he do to Ven?"

"I don't know everything-" Master Eraqus tries to say, but Terra interrupts.

"But you're not surprised. You knew this would happen. This is what you've been trying to protect Ven from." Terra knows he is right when Master Eraqus stands and pinches his nose deep in thought.

"Ventus...his heart is special as Yen Sid pointed out," Master Eraqus says and both Terra and Aqua listen intently. "You all knew that his heart was perfectly half light and half dark, but what I didn't tell you was that the balance could be upset by the darker half and the result would be the creation of ancient and terrible weapon known as the X-blade. X is a letter from the ancient language." Master Eraqus answers the confused expressions on his apprentices faces before they can ask their question. "It is what the keyblades we carry are based on. It is both the protector of and the key to Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts is a hidden realm and the source of all light. The control of its power has been sought since the beginning of time. The closest men have ever come to reaching it was over a hundred years ago in the Great Keyblade War.

At the time of the Keyblade War, the chosen wielder of the X-blade was a young man by the name of Vairos. Seeing the greed and jealousy of the men fighting over a power they were not worthy of, Vairos smashed the X-blade into 20 pieces, 7 of light and 13 of darkness, killing himself in the process. The destruction of the X-blade locked away Kingdom Hearts from the worlds. Its light still reaches the worlds, but in the ancient times it would always be shining brightly in the sky."

"So what does this have to do with Ven?" Terra asks.

"Kingdom Hearts will not stay locked away forever. The worlds need its light and in the past hundred years without it, darkness has begun to take over. Just before his death, Vairos told the armies of light and dark assembled to fight the Keyblade War that Kingdom Hearts would return when their need for it was grave. But for Kingdom Hearts to return, the X-blade has to be put back together. This is where Ventus comes in. He is the next chosen wielder of the X-blade."

Terra and Aqua both stare at him in shock before bursting into a million questions, but Master Eraqus holds up a hand. "However, as I have explained there is no X-blade left to wield. Bringing it back will be difficult and as far as I know there are only two different ways to recreate it. The first is what I fear Xehanort tried with Ventus today." The three of them turn to look at Ven. "Hidden in Ventus' heart is the ability to reform the X-blade, but he is not in control of it. The X-blade has always been and forever will be controlled by Kingdom Hearts. However, if Ventus were to be in desperate need, and with no other way out, Kingdom Hearts would recreate the X-blade and put it in his hand to defend himself and his light.

Xehanort has always lusted after the power of Kingdom Hearts since he first became a keyblade wielder and heard the stories of life before the Keyblade War. But he wants to use the power of Kingdom Hearts to destroy all the worlds and create a universe where everything is a perfect balance of darkness and light so neither would reign supreme. When he failed to see the insanity of his plans, Yen Sid and I were forced to banish him the Realm of Darkness; the furthest from Kingdom Hearts. Unbeknownst to us however, he had already set his plans into motion by giving Ventus the power of the keyblade and sealing his fate as the X-blade's wielder. Now ten years later, Xehanort has reemerged from the Realm of Darkness. He picked up where he left off and came here after Ventus to attempt to create the X-blade by drawing out the darkness in Ventus and forcing him to use his darker half. You see, if Ventus' darker side became stronger than his light side, he would receive the X-blade in order to protect himself from the darkness."

"And you are sure Xehanort didn't succeed?" Aqua asks.

"The signs would be unmistakable if he had," Master Eraqus replies.

"So why is Ven like this then?" Terra asks.

"That I am not sure of," Master Eraqus admits. "With no outward injuries causing him to remain unconscious, I can only infer that the cause of his wakelessness is an injury to his heart, an injury we cannot see nor heal for him."

"So there is nothing we can do!" Aqua shouts.

Master Eraqus looks away. "I'm afraid so."

Silence descends on the room for several minutes before Terras speaks up. "You said there were two ways to create the X-blade. What's the other?"

"When Vairos broke the X-blade a hundred years ago, it fractured into 7 pieces of light and 13 pieces of darkness," Master Eraqus says. "If keyblade wielders in the same numbers, seven of light and thirteen of darkness, were to come together again and clash, the X-blade would be forced to return. It would still only be able to be used by Ventus, but he would have no part in its creation."

Master Eraqus regards his apprentices with a sad smile. "I hope you see now why I did not tell you before today about this. That was a great deal to take in and understand all at once. Go and find Sora and bring him here. Then take some time to think over all I told you. If you have any questions I will answer them later."

Nodding, Terra and Aqua leave Ven's room in silence their minds reeling from all Master Eraqus had told them. The door to Sora and Riku's room is open and they can hear Riku's voice. "C'mon Sora. Come out from there."

Terra and Aqua enter and see Riku lying on the floor, looking under Sora's bed. Riku sits up when they enter. "Sora's under the bed and won't come out," Riku informs them.

Exchanging a look, Terra and Aqua follow Riku's example by lying on the floor. Looking under the bed, they can see Sora's bright blue eyes staring back at them. He has pressed himself against the wall and is curled up in the tight space. "Sora," Aqua says in a soft voice. "Can you come out here?" Sora shakes his head stubbornly. "Master Eraqus really wants to talk to you." Again Sora shakes his head. "Why not?"

"Where's Ven? I want Ven." Is Sora's reply. Aqua signs and looks to Terra.

"Ven's still sleeping," Terra says.

"Is he going to wake up?" Sora asks his voice quivering.

"He...yes...but maybe not for a long time," Terra says trying not to sound worried. "But while he's asleep, Master Eraqus needs you to tell him what happened to the two of you."

Sora starts shaking his head again. "I know you are scared Sora, but it is very important," Aqua says. "Xehanort can't hurt you or Ven anymore."

"Can you be brave Sora?" Terra asks. "Can you be brave for Ven? He really needs you."

"He needs me?" Sora repeats slowly. "If it'll help Ven...I can be brave."

Terra and Aqua stand up as Sora crawls out from under the bed. "Thank you Sora," Aqua says giving him a smile. She takes his hand and leads him to Ven's room. Master Eraqus looks up and smiles at Sora as he walks in. Sora's eyes however are trained on Ven who is still lying motionless in bed.

"Sora," Master Eraqus says and Sora's eyes jump briefly to him before returning to Ven. "How are you feeling?"

Sora shrugs. "Is Ven alright?"

"He's just sleeping," Master Eraqus says. "Why don't we go to my office and talk." Master Eraqus takes Sora's hand from Aqua and Sora follows him rather reluctantly.

Master Eraqus closes the door behind them as they enter his office. He takes the two chairs in front of his desk and turns them to face each other. "Take a seat Sora."

Sora carefully climbs onto one of the chairs and Master Eraqus sits across from him. Before Master Eraqus can say anything Sora blurts out, "I don't remember anything."

"Sora, do you want to help Ven?" Master Eraqus asks and Sora nods. "Then will you try to answer my questions? If you don't know the answer that's okay."

Sora nods again. "I guess I can try."

"Thank you Sora," Master Eraqus says giving him a smile. "I want to try what is called a cognitive interview*. It is as much about the things you sensed as the things you saw."

"I'm scared," Sora whispers.

"I know," Master Eraqus says sadly. "But I'll be here the whole time." He takes one of Sora's little hands in his and gives it a comforting squeeze. "Now I need you to close your eyes and go back to this afternoon." Sora takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "Good. Now you just left us inside and went out to play. What were you doing?"

"I was pretending to fight monsters," Sora replies.

"Was the sun out?" Master Eraqus asks.

"Yeah, it was warm," Sora says squeezing his eyes even tighter shut. "And there was a breeze."

"So what happened while you were fighting the imaginary monsters?"

…

"Take that! And that!" Sora cries. He blinks. He is back next to the gold rings with his wooden sword.

"_So what happened while you were fighting the imaginary monsters?" _Master Eraqus asks him.

"Footsteps. Someone's behind me," Sora says without turning.

"_Who?"_

Sora turns. He is looking at a pair of black boots. He raises his head as his eyes take in the man leering over him. "Mr. Nort!" Sora says.

"_...Mr. Nort? Xehanort?"_

"Xe-han-ort," Sora says slowly mastering the name.

"_Had you met him before?"_

"Me and Riku met him in the cave," Sora says. Xehanort smiles at him and then lunges down and grabs Sora's arm. "Master Eraqus!" Sora screams and Xehanort starts to drag him away. "Master Eraqus! I don't want to! Let me go!"

"_Sora! I'm right here. It's okay Sora I'm right here."_

Xehanort summons a dark corridor and Sora tries to pull out of his grip. "Master Eraqus! I don't want to be here! I don't want to be here!"

…

"I don't want to be here!" Sora shouts squeezing Master Eraqus' hand tighter.

"You're safe Sora," Master Eraqus says soothingly. "I'm right here."

Sora relaxes slightly. "I can hear Ven," he says quietly. "He's arguing with Xehanort."

"What are they arguing about?" Master Eraqus asks, but Sora shakes his head.

"I don't know."

Master Eraqus squeezes his hand gently. "That's alright Sora. Can you see Ven?"

…

Sora blinks and sees Ven fighting off a bunch of heartless. "Yeah," Sora replies and Ven kills the final heartless. "He just killed all the monsters."

Sora stiffens.

"_What do you feel Sora?"_

"Xehanort. He's gripping my arm too tight," Sora says biting his lip. Ven turns to face Sora and starts yelling at Xehanort again. "They're arguing again."

"_What are they saying?"_

Ven is in front of Sora, his eyes filled with panic. "It's going to be okay Sora. Don't cry. I swear he won't hurt you. I won't let him."

"Ven says he won't let Xehanort hurt me," Sora says to Master Eraqus.

"_What does Xehanort feel?"_

Sora looks up at the man holding him. "Happy. He's smiling." Suddenly Sora is in the dark. "Master Eraqus! I don't know where I am! It's dark. I'm so scared!"

"_I'm right here Sora. It's okay."_

"I don't want to be here," Sora says fearfully.

"_Alright, when do you see Ven again?"_

The darkness is suddenly gone and Ven is crouched beside him. "I see Ven, but I don't know where we are."

"_Describe the place Sora. I want you to look down at your feet. What are you standing on?"_

Sora looks down. "Rocks. Red rocks."

"_Look around Sora. What do you see?"_

"More red rocks. Big piles of them."

"_Mountains?"_

"Yeah, but not big like home," Sora says.

"_Do you smell anything Sora?"_

Sora takes a deep breath. "Rotten eggs?" He says confused.

"_Sulfur. Is anyone else there?"_

Sora is peering around Ven's leg at Xehanort. "He's here too." Ven falls to his knees. "Ven! Ven! Master Eraqus make him stop hurting Ven!"

"_What's he doing Sora?"_

"Let me go!" Sora shouts as Xehanort drags him away. "I don't know! Ven's holding his head."

Sora gasps as Ven suddenly charges Xehanort with his keyblade.

"_What happened Sora?"_

"Ven tried to fight Xehanort, Xehanort won," Sora says.

"_What is Ven feeling?"_

"He's angry, but he won't fight," Sora says. "It's what Xehanort wants."

Now Sora is overlooking a cliff and down below Ven is fighting an army of heartless. "Ven! he can't fight off all those heartless alone! There are too many! He's not strong enough! No!"

"_What's happening Sora!"_

Sora stares with horror at the scene below him. Ven is hidden underneath all the heartless. "They're all on top of him! They're going to kill him! Master Eraqus I'm so scared. I don't want to be here."

…

"Alright Sora. It's okay. I'm here," Master Eraqus says trying not to wince as Sora tightens his grip on his hand. "Does Xehanort leave?"

"Yeah he leaves with the other boy," Sora replies.

"The other boy?" Master Eraqus asks surprised. "Who is the other boy?"

"I don't know," Sora says. "He doesn't have a face."

"It's just you and Ven?" Master Eraqus asks.

"He won't wake up," Sora says his voice quivering. "I'm so scared and he won't wake up. I'm calling for him. I'm trying to reach him before...Ven!"

Sora smiles and relaxes. His hand slips out of Master Eraqus' as he opens his eyes. "What was that last thing you saw Sora?" Master Eraqus asks confused.

"I touched his heart," Sora replies happily. "He won't lose anything else now."

"You...touched his heart?" Master Eraqus repeats. "Sora did Ven give you the keyblade?"

"I think so," Sora says tilting his head. "I gave him some of my light and I think he gave me a little of his."

Master Eraqus leans back in his chair deep in thought. Sora's recollection has raised even more questions about what had happened between Ven and Xehanort. Who was the other boy?A boy without a face. Could it be... Was that even possible?

"Did I help?" Sora asks, interrupting Master Eraqus' train of thought.

"Yes, thank you Sora," Master Eraqus smiling at him. "You were very brave."

Sora smiles at the compliment. "Is Ven going to wake up now?"

Master Eraqus sighs. "I think he's going to sleep awhile longer. Why don't you run along and play. Just stay inside okay?"

"Okay!" Sora says and runs off probably to find Riku.

Master Eraqus doesn't move to rise from his chair. How could everything fall apart in only three days? He had tried so hard to keep Ven safe from all darkness, but in the end he had failed miserably in his duty. Keric had beaten him, Zack had broken his heart, and Xehanort... whatever he had done had hurt Ven deep inside. Master Eraqus feels his eyes water slightly just thinking of the empty look in Ven had had in his eyes when he had returned. Would he ever recover completely?

* * *

***Cognitive Interview- According to Wikipedia, 'the cognitive interview (CI) is a method of interviewing in which eyewitnesses and victims report what they remember from a crime scene.' It's basically a way of interviewing someone so that they picture what is happening and can remember small details like license plate numbers they would otherwise not be able to recall. **

**I based the way I wrote Sora's CI on how they are portrayed in the AWESOME tv show **_**Criminal Minds**_**. If you've never seen it, I would recommend looking up 'cognitive interview criminal minds' on google and it'll come up with a five minute clip of Rossi doing a CI on a witness (btw it's a little violent). I really based Sora's CI more on Prentiss' interview of the young girl (because she was also a kid) on the episode "Bloodline" but I can't find a clip of that one. Anyways I think it's interesting so if you're curious check it out.**

**Since most of the reviews overlapped I'm just going to answer a couple questions for everyone. **

**Sequel: The sequel is will follow the canon timeline and make a 10 year jump. It will be told from mostly Sora's POV but there will be several side stories to follow with different POVs. **

**OCs: Well I'm happy you are all okay with OCs because I have decided I definitely need at least two in the sequel. They will NOT be Mary Sues. They will be important to the story, but not main characters.**

***Also on OCs I kind of casually threw in another one in this chapter. Vairos was the X-blade wielder during the Keyblade War. He's dead now so he won't be in the story really.***

**TWEWY: YES! I am planning on doing a The World Ends With You world in this story. I'm not giving any hints on it though :)**

**Happy early AkuRoku day! **

**I wrote a oneshot to celebrate and decided to throw in a hint of Zactus XD I'll be posting it tomorrow. It's called **_**When You're Gone**_ **if you're interested.**

**So this was a very important chapter. Master Eraqus finally revealed the big secret he knows about Ven! Master Eraqus still has to tell Ventus that he is the X-blade wielder and explain everything again so if something didn't make sense let me know and I'll try and explain it better in the next chapter.**


	41. Answers

Chapter 41 _Answers_

The soft darkness of sleep pressed heavily on him. It kept him down no matter how hard he struggled. He got close, so close to waking up. He could hear the voices from the real world reaching him.

"-one of us had gone to look for Sora, if we hadn't let Ven go find him none of this would have happened."

"Don't think like that Aqua. There is no way we could have-"

And that was it. Terra and Aqua's voices faded away as he sank back down. When he finally found the strength to rise again he was met by different voices.

"-a faceless boy. Sora couldn't remember any more about him and he hadn't seen from where he had come."

"Indeed it is strange. What is his purpose when it comes to Xehanort's quest for the X-"

Falling back into a deep sleep, he frowned, wondering what Master Eraqus and Master Yen Sid had been discussing. What had happened? Terra and Aqua had seemed so concerned and the masters' voices had been grave. Were they in danger?

He tried to ascend, to wake up, but sleep held him down. How long had he been asleep? Long enough for his friends to worry? Why couldn't he wake up? He didn't want them to worry. Aqua was always so anxious when he was hurt and so was Master Eraqus. And Terra would blame himself for being there to save Ven. But save him from what?

It took awhile, but he finally found the memory floating around. The bald head and yellow eyes. The cackle. Xehanort had to have been the one to do this. He had found joy in causing Ven pain. He even thought it was funny to threaten...Wait! Had Xehanort...? Where was...?

"Sora!" Ven shouts as he sits bolt upright his eyes opening wide. Everything is out of focus and his head is swimming. Blood pounds in his ears as his muscles scream in protest to his sudden movement. He groans and throws an arm over his eyes as he falls back onto the bed. Strong arms catch him however and lower him gently.

"Ventus? Are you awake?"

Ven slowly removes his arm and opens his eyes once more. The light of the room makes him squint. Feeling a light touch on his shoulder he turns his head and blinks several times as Master Eraqus' face comes into focus. "Master Eraqus? What ha- ugh."

Ven grabs his throat, wincing at the dry feeling. "Drink this," Master Eraqus says gently. He holds out a cup with a straw in it and Ven greedily sucks up the water in the cup. He starts to cough as the cold liquid hits his sore throat, but after a couple big gulps he feels better.

As Master Eraqus takes the cup away, Ven remembers his urgency from before. "Master Eraqus!" Ven shouts trying to sit up again, but struggling with a grimace at his sore muscles. "Xehanort...Sora...he has him! He said he was going to-"

"Shh, lie down Ventus," Master Eraqus says soothingly, guiding Ven back down. "Xehanort is gone and Sora is fine."

"He is?" Ven asks confused. "But...but...what happened?"

"Why don't you tell me Ventus?" Master Eraqus says. "What do you remember?"

"I remember-" Ven starts confidently, but hesitates trying to recall the last thing he had seen. "I...I went looking for Sora," Ven says slowly and Master Eraqus nods encouragingly. "I didn't find him, but I met-" Ven stops again and looks Master Eraqus straight in the eye. "I met an old guy named Xehanort. He said he was my real master. Is that true?"

Master Eraqus sighs. "Yes, he was the one who gave you the power of the keyblade as a child."

Ven nods knowing it is true. "But you're my master, Master Eraqus. Xehanort doesn't care about me at all."

Master Eraqus smiles at his words. "What else do you remember?" He asks gently.

"He distracted me with a bunch of heartless," Ven says frowning as he tries to remember. "And when I looked back at him he was holding Sora. He was holding his keyblade to Sora. Are you sure he's okay?" Ven asks anxiously.

"Yes, he's downstairs with the others," Master Eraqus replies. "Please continue Ventus, this is important."

Ven stares up at the ceiling over his bed. "He said if I'd go with him he'd let Sora go so I agreed, but then he summoned this thing. It was like a light corridor, but dark. He threw Sora through it and I had to go as well to save him. Everything turned dark and..." Ven stops, frowning. "And then I woke up here. How did you save us? What happened to me?"

"Is that all you remember?" Master Eraqus asks surprised.

"Yeah. Why? What else should I remember?" Ven is now worried.

"Honestly I don't exactly know," Master Eraqus replies. "You and Sora were missing for hours and we didn't save you, you came back. Sora's memory of what happened couldn't explain everything. I was hoping you would remember."

Ven shook his head. "What does Sora remember?"

"He described a world of red rock," Master Eraqus says slowly looking for a spark of remembrance from Ven. "You and Xehanort fought. Then you fought an army of heartless...They defeated you."

Ven shakes his head. "How can I not remember something like that?" He whispers.

"Sora also described a faceless boy. Do you know who he was talking about?" Master Eraqus asks.

"No," Ven says in a quiet voice.

"Do you remember giving Sora the keyblade?"

"What!" Ven shouts in shock, trying to sit up again. "No I didn't. I would never! I wouldn't want him to have that burden."

"Please lie down Ventus," Master Eraqus says sternly. "Sora is now able to wield a keyblade and he says you were the one to give it to him. He is adament that is what happened. Something about him touching your heart."

"My heart?" Ven says to himself. He places a hand over his heart and closes his eyes. Images flash before his eyes too quick for him to see properly or understand. A red cliff. A dusty sky. A large keyblade. A bright light. A terrible darkness. A broken circle. And through each image he feels a piercing pain in his chest under his hand. He winces and opens his eyes. The pain is gone as quick as it had come.

"What is it Ventus?" Master Eraqus asks concerned.

"I'm not sure," Ven says slowly. "I think it was a memory...but it was just pain."

Master Eraqus frowns in worry. "There is much I need to explain to you Ventus and still more that I do not understand, but you've been through a horrible ordeal and I do not want to burden you right at this moment. Rest. If you feel up to it, I'm sure the others will be overjoyed to see you awake."

"I really want to see them too," Ven says eagerly.

"I'll send them up then," Master Eraqus says with a smile as he heads for the door.

"Master Eraqus," Ven calls and Master Eraqus pauses at the door. "How long have I been sleeping for?"

Master Eraqus hesitates. "Nearly six days." He turns to see Ven with his mouth wide open in shock. "Try to not let it bother you. In sleep our bodies can heal. Sleep brings recovery, it brings rebirth. Do not worry about how long you were asleep. It was just how long you needed to mend yourself."

…

"Ven!"

Ven had been staring up at the ceiling lost in thought when the excited shout broke his concentration. He turns his head and tries to sit up only to be knocked back as Sora jumps on him hugging his neck like he would never let go. "Sora," Ven says with a sigh of relief. Master Eraqus had told him Sora was safe, but it isn't until Sora is right in front of him that Ven can let go of his final doubts. "I'm so glad you're alright." He hugs Sora gently.

"So sleeping beauty finally woke up." Ven feels a hand mess up his hair and Ven looks up grinning knowing it is Terra.

"How are you feeling Ven?" Aqua asks concerned. She is standing beside Terra and they are both leaning over him with relieved expressions.

"Hungry," Ven replies honestly. Terra and Aqua both laugh and grin at him. Sora finally lets go of Ven's neck and scoots of the bed to stand beside Riku. With Sora off him, Ven attempts to sit up but grimaces as he does so. Aqua quickly moves to help him and once he is sitting with his back leaning against the headboard of his bed, he catches sight of her worried eyes. "I'm just sore, Aqua." A familiar scent reaches him and makes his mouth water. "Is that...?" Ven asks as Master Eraqus enters his room. In his hand is plate with a steaming pizza on it. Ven is sure he is drooling all over himself by the time Master Eraqus gets to him.

Master Eraqus hands him the plate which Ven takes greedily. "Be careful that's-" Master Eraqus tries to say, but Ven takes a huge bite and his eyes go wide. "-hot." Master Eraqus says with a sigh. Ven grabs the cup of water off the table beside his bed and gulps down the cold water. From then on Ven eats his pizza more carefully, but with just as much enthusiasm as before. As he pigs out, Master Eraqus tells all his apprentices his plans for the afternoon.

"I need to take Ventus to see Master Yen Sid. He will be relieved to hear you have awoken and there is much we need to discuss." Ven nods at Master Eraqus' words, but keeps most of his attention on his pizza. "The rest of you have been cooped up in this castle to long. Terra and Aqua, you can take Sora and Riku to Traverse Town for the day."

Terra and Aqua nod and turn back to Ven. "So are you going to tell us what happened with Xehanort?" Terra asks.

Ven glances at Terra and Aqua's curious and worried faces before turning his head away and saying softly, "I don't remember."

"You...don't remember?" Aqua says confused. "Nothing at all?"

Ven shakes his head. "Just pain," he whispers without thinking. He looks up to see horrified expressions of his friends' faces. "But I'm okay!" He says quickly.

Master Eraqus sighs sadly and turns to Sora and Riku. "Would you boys mind waiting downstairs for Terra and Aqua? They'll be down soon."

With wide eyes, the two boys give Master Eraqus a nod and exit the bedroom. Master Eraqus turns back to Ven. "Ventus, I know you can't remember what happened after you left this world, but what do you recall Xehanort telling you? What did he want from you?"

"He said..." Ven starts hesitantly. "That my keyblade and my heart belonged to him because he gave me the keyblade. He wanted me to go with him and be his apprentice. I told him to go to- I told him to go away. Then he made me go with him by threatening Sora, and that's all I remember."

"He didn't mention creating a weapon?" Master Eraqus asks.

"No...he said something about gaining unlimited power, but he was ranting like a lunatic," Ven says. He pulls his hair in frustration. "Why can't I remember anything else!"

"Master, why don't you do a cognitive interview with Ven like with Sora?" Aqua asks. "It seemed to work well."

Ven looks up hopefully, but Master Eraqus shakes his head. "Sora was just having trouble explaining his memories because he was so frightened, but Ventus seems to have completely repressed his memories of what happened. I am afraid I do not have a way to bring those memories back. We may just have to wait and see. Why don't you shower and get dressed Ventus? Then I'll take you to see Master Yen Sid. He may have more insight than I do about repressed memories."

Ven nods and the others leave him to get ready. At the bottom of the stairs, Master Eraqus turns to his older apprentices. "I'd like to hear your opinions," Master Eraqus says and both of his apprentices look a little surprised.

"Well," Aqua says hesitantly. "It's strange that he can't remember what happened, but maybe it's for the best. I mean, Xehanort must have hurt him pretty bad. Do we really want him to remember that?"

"I think it's worse with him not remembering," Terra says in disagreement. "If he doesn't know, he'll assume the worst."

Master Eraqus frowns thoughtfully. "Well, it is not up to us whether or not he remembers. What else? How did he seem to you besides the memory loss?"

Terra and Aqua exchange a look. "I...felt like there was something off about him," Aqua admits.

"Me too," Terra adds. "But I'm not quite sure what it was."

Master Eraqus nods. "I had the same feeling." They all stand in silence thinking deeply. "It has to be expected that trauma will change him a little," Master Eraqus finally says and the other two nod and look worried. "Try not to dwell on it too much. Taking him to see Yen Sid may improve things, I'm not sure. Also, while you are in Traverse Town, you may tell your friends there about Ventus' condition, but please do not mention the X-blade. The less people who know about Ventus' ability the better. I'm sure we can trust Leon and the others, but we should still be cautious."

...

Terra pushes the large wooden doors open and waits until Aqua walks through with Sora and Riku before following them and closing the doors behind him. From across the square Leon and Cloud look up and walk over to them. The looks on Aqua and Terra's faces must have given away their worry because Cloud's eyes narrow and he asks them, "Has something happened?"

Aqua and Terra both nod. "Something has happened to Ven," Terra tells the two men and their concern deepens. "He was hurt pretty badly."

"But he's ok?" Sora says more as a question looking anxiously up at Terra. "Isn't he ok?"

Terra smiles at Sora but its forced. "Yes he ok. But he isn't completely himself right now."

"We should gather everyone together," Aqua says quietly to Cloud and Leon who look ready to explode with questions. "It will be easier to explain only once."

Leon nods in understanding. "Yuffie, Aerith, and Merlin are in there with Tifa," he says pointing over at the 7th Heaven. "Merlin is helping them plan the wedding and they kicked us out. I'm not sure where Cid is." He looks around and spots him coming down the steps into the square. "There he is."

"Cid!" Sora and Riku shout with grins and run away from the group. They race each other to the older man who pretends to try and run away at the sight of them. "Cid wait up!" Sora calls and tries to run faster.

Riku reaches Cid first and grabs his arm. "Gotcha!" He says smugly.

"Looks like ya caught me," Cid says with a smile lifting his arm up to shoulder height and leaving RIku dangling as he refuses to let go.

"I caught you too!" Sora says with a pout having just caught up to them. Cid reaches down and messes up his hair. Riku lets go of Cid's arm and drops to the ground. He immediately latches onto Cid's leg, sitting on his foot and wrapping his arms and legs around Cid's calf.

"Sora! Get his other leg," Riku calls and laughing Sora sits on Cid's other foot holding onto Cid's leg in a similar way.

"Why you little-" Cid exclaims in mock anger. He shakes the leg with Riku on it slightly and Riku just laughs and tightens his grip. With a sigh of acceptance, Cid walks with difficulty over to Cloud who is motioning for him to follow the others into the bar.

As Cid and Cloud enter with Sora and Riku giggling, Terra and Aqua have just finished telling the girls and Merlin that they have bad news about Ven and they drop the scraps of cloth they had been comparing. Marlene looks up from the corner where she had been playing with several dolls and a plastic tea set.

"What happened?" Tifa asks coming around the bar and motioning for them to take a seat in the chairs scattered around.

Aqua holds her hand up briefly and calls to Sora and Riku who are still latched onto Cid. "Guys, we have to talk to everyone about Ven. It's very important. Could you two let go of Cid?"

Both unhappily obey and get up walking over to her. "Thank you," she says to them ruffling both of their hair. "We are going to talk about a bunch of boring stuff, so why don't the two of you go play."

"Marlene is over here," Aerith says leading them to her daughter. The two boys happily run over and plop down next to her.

"Where's Zack?" Terra asks as Aerith walks back over leaving the two boys and Marlene to have what looks like a tea party.

"I'll get him," Tifa replies walking over to the stairs that lead to Zack's basement bedroom. She opens the door and calls down, "Zack can you come up here?"

After a moment footsteps pound their way up the steps and Zack appears next to Tifa surprised to find so many eyes on him. "Oh hi guys," he says seeing Terra and Aqua. Then his eyes narrow in slight anger. "Is Ven here too?"

"No. He's actually what we came to talk to you all about," Aqua says to him.

"Why don't you sit down?" Cloud says gesturing for Zack to take the seat next to him.

Zack looks around at them all suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Please sit Zack," Tifa says quietly trying to herd him to the seat.

"Not until someone tells me what's going on!" Zack says resisting her.

"Zack," Cloud says standing. He puts his hands on Zack's shoulders. "Something has happened to Ven."

"Wha-what do you mean?" Zack says losing his angry expression. He now lets Cloud lead him over to the chairs and sits looking around in fear waiting for someone to explain. His pleading eyes settle on Terra and Aqua.

Aqua slips her hand into Terra's and he gives her a comforting squeeze. "Let me start by telling you all that Ven is with Master Eraqus and safe," Terra begins not wanting to keep them all in fear while he tells the story. "But, six days ago Ven and Sora were kidnapped from our home by a dark keyblade master named Xehanort." A collective gasp comes from the listeners and they all turn to look at Sora. The three little kids glance at them curiously before returning to their game. Terra regains the adults and Zack's attention saying, "Xehanort was the man who was supposed to be Ven's master and teach him about the keyblade, but Xehanort abandoned Ven as a child. From what Master Eraqus understands, Xehanort wanted Ven to become his student now and help with Xehanort's quest for a kind of ultimate weapon.

Ven and Sora were missing for hours. We had no idea what had happened to them. We searched the entire world for them and then Ven and Sora just suddenly showed up. As you can imagine, Sora was very frightened and didn't make hardly any sense when he tried to tell us what happened."

Terra pauses swallowing the lump his throat. "And Ven...we went over to him and he was just standing there looking down at the ground. It was like he couldn't hear us and didn't notice us. He was totally unresponsive to us. Then all of a sudden, he screamed out like he was in pain and collapsed." Terra looks around taking in the horrified expressions that are all around him. He looks away remembering his own fear when Ven had fainted. "Xehanort came and told us he wanted Ven back. Master Eraqus fought him. Xehanort went to leave, but before he did he sent one final attack at Sora. And Sora summoned a keyblade to protect himself."

Terra sighs and puts his head in his hands. Aqua picks up the story her sadness obvious in her voice. "We have no idea what Xehanort did to Ven. He was unconscious for days. Sora was able to tell us a little about what happened, but he didn't know everything. Ven woke up this morning and he doesn't remember hardly anything. He doesn't remember fighting Xehanort, or the heartless, or giving Sora the keyblade. But he's different. It's hard to describe. He seems normal for the most part. But there is something off. It's all a big mystery and unless Ven can get his memory back we won't know what Xehanort really did to him."

Silence falls over the group and for a moment, the only thing to hear is Sora wondering aloud how you get sugar to stick to itself as a sugar cube. Then the questions come. For the most part Terra and Aqua answer honestly, usually saying "We don't know", but when the others ask them about what Xehanort may have wanted from Ven, they have to lie and say they have no clue.

When all the questions have run dry, Tifa stands and declares everyone could use a cup of tea to calm their nerves. She disappears into the back with Cloud following her to help and the rest of the group disintegrates into side conversations in low, worried voices.

Terra looks over to see Zack staring at the ceiling with a pained expression. He and Aqua move to sit beside him and Aqua asks, "Are you okay Zack?"

Slowly, Zack nods. "Can you...tell Ven I'd like to see him? You know...see for myself that he's alright."

"Of course," Terra says.

"Thanks."

Tifa and Cloud return, laden with trays full of tea cups. Everyone rushes forward to take a cup and when they all settle back down, Zack is gone. His cup left forgotten. Tifa looks at it and sighs. "He's been feeling really bad about how he and Ven left it," she says to Terra and Aqua. "Even though he won't admit it, I know he kept hoping for Ven to show up, but when he didn't, Zack tried to move on. Now you tell him that Ven's been unconscious the whole time and I'm sure he's feeling guilty for giving up on him."

"Hopefully tomorrow Ven will feel up to coming here and they can talk everything out," Aqua says and Terra nods. He starts to let his mind wander as the others talk amongst themselves. Ven and Master Eraqus are probably at Master Yen Sid's tower by now. He wonders how Ven is taking the news.

…

Ven sits staring at the wall with his arms crossed while next to him Master Eraqus is recalling the little that Ven remembers to Master Yen Sid and Mickey at the study at the top of the Mysterious Tower. When Master Eraqus finishes, Master Yen Sid closes his eyes briefly, deep in thought. "Despite young Ventus' lost memories, it appears what he does remembers supports our theories." Master Yen Sid opens his eyes and trains them in an unyielding stare at Ven. "I believe the time has come to fill in the gaps in your knowledge."

Ven opens his mouth in confusion, but before he can ask any questions Master Eraqus speaks up. "I am afraid you are right," he says to Master Yen Sid, then turning to Ven, "Before all this happened, you were angry with me for keeping secrets from you. I truly only did it because the burden of knowledge I was carrying did not seem fair to place on your shoulders. There is some truth in the saying 'Ignorance is bliss'. I wanted you to be happy and not have to worry. But times have changed and I must realize that I can no longer protect you from who you are."

"Who am I?" Ven asks with a note of fear.

"You are the X-blade wielder," Master Eraqus says with reluctance.

Ven frowns. "I don't understand." He turns from Master Eraqus to Master Yen Sid as the latter waves his hand and a large leather book appears on his desk in front of Ven flipped open.

"Let us start at the beginning," Master Yen Sid says and above the book, a 3D image appears of a glowing blue moon in the shape of a heart.

"I've seen that before!" Ven exclaims and both masters and Mickey look at him surprised.

"You have? Where?" Master Eraqus asks.

"It was in a dream I had," Ven says trying to recall. "I saw it the first time Vanitas spoke to me." Mentioning his darker half's name, Ven realizes that he hadn't heard the rude voice since he had awoken, but he pushes that thought away to consider later. Right now he has to focus on what Master Yen Sid is saying.

"Kingdom Hearts has not been seen in the real world since the Keyblade War a hundred years ago. It vanished after the destruction of the X-blade."

"Keyblade?" Ven asks.

"X is a letter from the ancient language," Master Yen Sid explains and the image of Kingdom Hearts is replaced by a stylized X. "Our keyblades are only inspired by the one true X-blade. Keyblades were first created as a jealous imitation by men who sought to gain for themselves the power of Kingdom Hearts. Since the beginning of time, the X-blade would be wielded by only the greatest warriors with the purest hearts." Now the 3D image becomes a group of armor clad men, close to Terra in size. "These warriors defended Kingdom Hearts from any who attempted to take it's power. However, a hundred years ago a mere boy named Vairos became the wielder of the X-blade." The group disappears leaving only a much smaller figure in blue and green armor. "Lusting for power, many keyblade wielders joined forces against Vairos believing it would be easy to defeat him and take Kingdom Hearts. Vairos fought off many of them, but he knew it was a battle he could not win. To save Kingdom Hearts, he destroyed the X-blade and, in doing so, killed himself. Kingdom Hearts vanished from the sky and the light it brought to the worlds faded. The remaining keyblade wielders turned on each other, blaming each other for the loss of the great light, and fought until none were left standing. Ever since then, the X-blade has remained destroyed and Kingdom Hearts hidden away."

"A hundred years passed," Master Eraqus says. "There had still yet to be a new X-blade wielder to recreate the X-blade and bring Kingdom Hearts back to the worlds. But now you are here Ventus." The 3D image of the boy in armor flashes and the armor disappears and an image of Ven is now floating above the book. "The worlds have waited a hundred years for the one to bring back Kingdom Hearts. They have been waiting for you, the next X-blade wielder."

Ven feels like he can't breathe. An overwhelming feeling of foreboding presses against him and it takes him a few attempts to speak. "How...how do you know it's me?"

"Everything that has happened to you on Carinol, namely Keric, should have taken all the light from your heart and left you as dark as the other people of your home world," Master Eraqus says gently. "Yet your light was too strong to be destroyed. That is because Kingdom Hearts was fueling your light. Every X-blade wielder is touched by Kingdom Hearts at birth, sealing their fate as to forever defend it's light."

"Fate?" Ven whispers. "That makes it sound like a death sentence."

"I'm not going to lie to you Ventus, history has shown that for some it is," Master Eraqus admits sadly. "Some, like Vairos, fought off the forces of darkness to their death, but not all. Some fought for years until another X-blade wielder came along who was younger and stronger than them. The new X-blade wielder would step up and the old one would be allowed to step down."

Ven sits in silence and the others watch him try to come to terms with his these new expectations. "But there is no X-blade left," Ven says slowly. "You said that other guy, Vairos, destroyed it."

Master Yen Sid nods. "Indeed. The X-blade was smashed into 20 pieces, 7 of light and 13 of darkness. It must be reformed before Kingdom Hearts can be unlocked again." The 3D image changes once more. Ven's expression hardens as he sees it is Xehanort. "10 years ago, a keyblade wielder named Xehanort set out on a quest to recreate the X-blade and bring back Kingdom Hearts. His intention was to use the power of Kingdom Hearts to bring total destruction in the hope of creating a more even balance of light and dark. He approached Eraqus and I with the idea of finding a new X-blade wielder having discovered that a X-blade wielder has the power to create the X-blade by clashing with the darkness inside of them. Your darkness," Master Yen Sid says pointing at Ven's heart. Ven raises a hand to his chest.

"Yen Sid and I succeeded in banishing Xehanort to the Realm of Darkness shortly after he revealed his plans," Master Eraqus says. "But not before he gave you the keyblade to make you stronger. Now he has returned and even though you do not remember what happened, we believe that Xehanort tried to force you into creating the X-blade. You resisted and he failed, but do not think he is going to give up. Xehanort always had a back up plan for his back up plan."

"How do we stop him?" Ven asks desperately, but then realizes something. "How do we stop me? Even if we stop Xehanort, I'll still have the power to create the X-blade. What do we do about that?"

"There is nothing we can do," Master Eraqus says gently. "Just like our keyblades can bring either destruction or hope depending on the wielder, the X-blade is the same. Our first priority is to stop Xehanort and prevent him from getting near Kingdom Hearts. The X-blade would be dangerous in his hands, but in yours I'm not worried. Kingdom Hearts chose you because it believe you to be the best suited. And," Master Eraqus says with a small smile. "I trust you."

* * *

**Yay! Super long chapter done! **

**Ven woke up! Isn't that great! Now he just has to get back his memory because there is still one pesky thing that hasn't been addressed and that pesky thing is named Vanitas. **

**Next chapter is happy! Surprising right? I haven't had anything happy happen for a while. It's been all doom and gloom for Ven these past few chapters, but someone is going to make him smile again. (Bet you can guess who!)**

**MLSoT: Glad you liked the CI last chapter. Random fact: My friend dressed up as Flo from Progressive for Halloween a few years ago. It was hilarious!**

**Mexi: Out of all your questions about the sequel the only one I'll answer is that yes Sora will be 15 and Riku will be 16. Those are their ages in KH2 so they will have their appearances from that game. (Yay! For Riku's beautiful long hair!) However, the story line lines up more with KH1 in a similar way to how this story lines up a little with BBS. I want to say sooo much more, but I really don't want to spoil too much for you :)**


	42. Zack Fair is the Sexiest Man Alive

Chapter 42 _Zack Fair is the Sexiest Man Alive_

"We're back!" Terra calls to the quiet castle as he, Aqua, Sora, and Riku enter through the front doors. They proceed into the sitting room to find Ven sprawled out on the couch with a thick leather book. He doesn't look up as they come in, keeping his eyes trained on the book in his hand and his brow furrowed in concentration.

"You're gonna hurt yourself thinking that hard," Terra says jokingly. Ven blinks and look over at them.

"Oh, didn't hear you guys come in," Ven says distractedly.

"What are you reading Ven?" Aqua asks looking curiously at the huge book.

"_A Complete History of Kingdom Hearts, the X-blade, and It's Mysterious Wielders,_" Ven reads from the front cover.

"So they told you about the X-blade," Aqua says softly.

Ven nods. "Yep. Master Yen Sid even gave me this book to read. He called it an easy read, but it doesn't even have pictures."

Aqua can't help but smile at Ven's pout. It's just so...normal. He doesn't seem all that fazed by the sudden fate that had been thrust upon him.

Ven marks his page and quickly sits up, putting the heavy book on the coffee table. "Hey Sora can you come here?" He asks. Sora looks up curiously and walks over to him. "Would you mind showing me your keyblade?"

Sora grins and nods happily. He holds out his hand and his small keyblade appears in a flash of light. Proud of himself he holds it out to Ven who tries to smile back. "Do you remember me giving you this?"

"Uh huh," Sora replies. "You were sad that a part of your heart was missing so I fixed it and after that I could use the keyblade."

Ven rubs his head in annoyance at not remembering doing that. "Alright, thanks Sora."

"Can we have dinner?" Riku asks.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Terra says and they all head to the kitchen.

…

Later that night, Master Eraqus comes downstairs for a midnight cup of tea to find Ven lying on the couch reading once more. "Ventus," he says quietly as he enters the sitting room so as to not startle the boy. "What are you still doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Ven answers honestly as he sits up. "I'm not at all tired and everytime I close my eyes all I can think about is..." He trails off but his eyes glance at the book in his hands.

Master Eraqus sits beside him on the couch and takes the book from his hands. Setting it on the coffee table he says, "After everything we talked about yesterday, I never got a chance to ask you how you were coping."

Ven leans back and puts his hands behind his head while he thinks. "I think," he starts hesitantly. "I'm okay with this X-blade, Kingdom Hearts stuff. I mean it's all kind of strange to take in, but it I feel like...like I've figured out who I am and now everything makes sense."

Master Eraqus smiles. "Good. Maybe I should have told you sooner."

Ven shakes his head slowly. "No, I think if you had told me before Xehanort kidnapped me I would have been terrified. But now, I've already proven to you and to myself that I can stop him and keep him from getting the X-blade. Even if I can't remember actually doing it," He adds closing his eyes as he tries to remember.

"Give it time Ventus," Master Eraqus says rising to his feet.

"Yeah," Ven sighs unhappily.

Master Eraqus gives him a final smile before heading into the kitchen to make his tea. A few minutes later he returns teacup in hand to find Ven once more lost in his book. "It's time for you to go to bed," Master Eraqus says firmly.

"Five more minutes," Ven whines.

"Now Ventus, it's late," Master Eraqus says firmly.

With an exaggerated sigh, Ven gets to his feet and heads for the stairs grumbling. Master Eraqus stops him and holds out his hand. Giving him a dirty look, Ven hands over the book which Master Eraqus leaves on the coffee table before ushering Ven upstairs to bed.

...

Master Eraqus comes down the next morning to find Ven back on the couch with his book once more in his hands. "Ventus," Master Eraqus says with a sigh. "Did you sneak back down here after I specifically told you to go to bed?"

"I tried to sleep!" Ven says defensively. "Honest I did, but I'm really not tired."

Master Eraqus pinches the bridge of his nose. "I guess that is not too surprising considering you slept for six days straight." He lets his hand fall back to his side and looks at a grinning Ven. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Ven says excitedly. He jumps to his feet, the book lying discarded on the couch cushions.

"What would you like?" Master Eraqus asks as the enter the kitchen.

"Waffles," Ven says right away. He helps Master Eraqus gather the necessary ingredients and while the wait for the first waffle to cook they take a seat at the large table. "So I was reading that book and I came across something I don't understand," Ven says to Master Eraqus.

"And what is that?" Master Eraqus asks.

"Well," Ven replies. "It says that Kingdom Hearts is light and the X-blade wielder has a light filled heart, but the X-blade itself isn't purely light. In fact, it is more than half darkness. Why is that?"

Master Eraqus considers the question for a moment before answering. "Kingdom Hearts is an entity completely separate from our worlds. This separation prevents any darkness from reaching it. As I'm sure you've been reading about, the X-blade wielder's heart has a direct connection to Kingdom Hearts and that is why they are so light filled despite living among the darkness of the worlds. The X-blade however, though created by Kingdom Hearts, is a tool for men, therefore it reflects the worlds where darkness is always more abundant than light. However, although the light may seem insufficient against the overwhelming darkness, even the smallest light is stronger than a hoard of darkness. The X-blade may have more darkness than light, but the light it does have is stronger than the darkness."

Master Eraqus leaves Ven to think that over as he retrieves the now cooked waffle. Setting it down in front of Ven, they continue to talk about less important things. Soon the kitchen is filled with all the apprentices and the smell of maple syrup. When they had all eaten as many waffles as they could, Aqua turns to Master Eraqus and asks, "Would you mind letting Ven go to Traverse Town today? The others really wanted to see him."

"As long as you and Terra accompany Ventus, I have no problem with that," Master Eraqus replies and Terra turns to Ven.

"What do you say Ven?" Terra asks. "Feel up to going to Traverse Town? Like Aqua said, the others were worried about you...including Zack. He said he wanted to see you."

At the mention of Zack, Ven bites his lip and looks away, but he replies, "Yeah, I'd like to go."

Terra and Aqua get to their feet and head out of the kitchen closely followed by Ven. They reach the front doors when Master Eraqus calls to them, "Aqua, a word please."

Ven stops and looks back curiously, but Master Eraqus catches Terra's eye and he receives the silent message. "C'mon," Terra says to Ven. "Aqua will meet us outside."

As the boys exit it the castle, Aqua walks back to her master. "What is it Master Eraqus?"

In a low voice Master Eraqus says, "Xehanort is still out there somewhere. He said he would come for Ven eventually. Keep your eyes peeled and at the first sign of danger I want the three of you to come back here immediately. Until this threat is taken care of, our first priority must be Ven's safety."

"Don't worry Master Eraqus," Aqua says confidently. "You can count on Terra and I. We won't let anything happen to Ven."

"Thank you Aqua," Master Eraqus says giving her a weak smile.

…

Ven had barely taken two steps into the 1st district when he hears the excited squeal, "Oh my gosh!"

Then something collides with his shoulder and he is sent sprawling face first. "Ven! Ven! You're here!" Yuffie remains on top of him as she gives him a tight hug.

"Gah, Yuffie, where did you even come from?" Ven says struggling to get up, but to no avail.

"Ninja secret," Yuffie says before getting up and letting Ven also get to his feet.

"It's good to see you." Ven turns at Leon's voice and sees the older man leaning against the wall with the hint of a smile on his usually stoic face.

"I'll go get the others!" Yuffie exclaims before running to the doors of the 7th Heaven. As she goes, Cid walks down the steps from his shop.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Cid calls from across the square as he makes his way over. "You had us all pretty damn worried kid." Ven grins sheepishly at him and Cid roughs up Ven's spiky hair.

"Sorry," Ven says fixing his hair. "I didn't mean to make everyone worry."

"It doesn't matter." Aerith's soft voice reaches Ven's ears and he turns to see her, Tifa, and Cloud coming out of the 7th Heaven with a grinning Yuffie. "We're just so happy that you're alright," she says clapping her hands together. Ven and the others that had been standing near the doors the keyblade wielders had entered though move to meet the girls and Cloud halfway in the middle of the square.

Tifa leans down to examine him closely and he shifts awkwardly under her gaze. She smiles and laughs slightly. She straightens up and interlocks her fingers with Cloud's she opens her mouth as if to say something when the doors to the 7th Heaven open and Ven looks up to lock eyes with Zack. Everyone takes a step back from Ven to give them privacy as Zack walks over with a mixture of emotions on his face. Ven gives him a sad smile as Zack stops short right in front of him his expression still clouded with too many emotions. Zack opens his mouth but nothing comes out.

Ven decides to speak. "Zack, I'm ok, really."

Zack just continues to stare at him.

"Zack," Ven says again desperate for him to say something in reply. "I'm sorry. What I said before, I shouldn't have been so-"

Ven is cut off as Zack suddenly moves forward, lifting his hands to Ven's cheeks, and tilting Ven's face up. Not caring that they others are watching. Not caring that Ven had broken up with him. Not caring about anything except the boy whose face he has cradled between his hands, Zack kisses him.

Ven is shocked at first. But only for a moment. He relaxes as Zack pulls him closer and Ven happily wraps his arms around Zack's neck. They hold their passionate kiss for several moments before breaking apart. With a smile, Ven rests his head on Zack's shoulder feeling Zack's strong arms holding him tight.

"I'm sorry," Zack says quietly in Ven's ear. "You had every right to be mad at me. But that's in the past. All that matters is that you're safe and if I ever find that Xehanort guy I'll kill him for what he did to you."

Ven pulls away slightly in their embrace and rests his forehead on Zack's. "Sorry if I scared you. I feel bad that everyone was so worried about me."

"They were worried because they care about you," Zack replies. "I care about you."

Ven smiles. "Why don't we go some place to talk?"

Zack nods in agreement and they release each other. Ven glances around and sees everyone hastily look away with smiles on their faces not wanting to be caught staring. Everyone except Yuffie who walks over and throws her arms around both boys' shoulders. "You two are too cute," she proclaims ignoring their red faces. "I mean seriously, that kiss was like the sweetest thing I've ever seen."

"Uh thanks," Zack says ducking away from her. He grabs Ven's hand and pulls him away from her as well. "We're gonna go back to my room to talk. Alone," he adds as she makes a move to follow them. Ignoring her pout and the other's glances, Zack tugs again on Ven's hand and they turn away walking back to the 7th Heaven.

…

An uncomfortable silence falls on Ven and Zack as they sit alone in Zack's bedroom. Ven sits stiffly on the small couch while Zack is perched on the corner of his bad. Ven glances at Zack intending to speak, but instead looks away again.

Zack is the one to find his voice first saying, "I'm sorry Ven. I shouldn't have tried to hide our relationship from everyone."

"I'm sorry for overreacting," Ven says. "I didn't mean any of the things I said. I...I don't want to stop seeing you."

"Me neither," Zack says quietly and Ven looks at him and smiles. Zack moves to sit next to him on the couch and takes his hand. "Ven, will you be my boyfriend, again?"

"Does this answer your question?" Ven leans forward and catches Zack's lips with his. When they break their kiss, they cuddle up close of the couch with Ven's head on Zack's shoulder and Zack's arm wrapped around him. The silence that descends on them is no longer uncomfortable as they just sit enjoying each other's presence.

"Do you want to tell me about Xehanort?" Zack asks softly and feels Ven tense up. "Terra and Aqua already told us you don't remember much."

"I don't remember anything," Ven says in a small voice. "At least not anything important. Master Eraqus calls it repressed memories. He says with time I might remember, but I might not."

"What do you remember?" Zack asks curiously.

"I remember Xehanort telling me he gave me the keyblade," Ven says his voice taking on an angry tone. "I remember him threatening Sora and then me going through a dark corridor to keep Sora safe. After that, nothing."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing until I woke up at MEKA six days later," Ven replies frowning. "Sora says we went to this red rock wasteland of a world and I fought Xehanort and heartless till I fell. Then he says I gave him the keyblade. I can't believe I did that." Ven shakes his head sadly. "When the others saw me they said I was like a mindless zombie just staring at the ground until I fell unconscious. I hate not being able to remember any of it."

With a sigh, he turns his head into Zack's chest while Zack strokes his hair gently. They sit like that both lost in their own thoughts for several minutes before Zack suddenly says, "Wait I know."

Ven sits up as Zack gets to his feet and goes across the room to his dresser. He picks up a strange talisman which Ven remembers looking at it the first time he had been in Zack's room. Zack turns to him with a grin. "Under hypnosis you can remember all kinds of things you don't normally. Wanna let me try it on you?

"Hypnosis?" Ven asks skeptically.

"Yeah," Zack replies now eager with his sudden idea. "When I was back in Greece, after you guys left, I was wandering around and this woman appeared. She said her name was Hera and she knew that Phil had decided to be Herc's trainer instead of mine. She seemed to think I was mad at Herc for that and she said she had a grudge against Herc that had something to do with his father.

Anyways, she wanted me to help her hurt Herc, but of course I said no way because Herc is my friend. Well, she got really mad and told me that she was a goddess and I had to do what she said. I told her the answer was still no. Man was she pissed! She summoned this intense storm to try and make me submit. I fought hard but she was powerful, more powerful than Hades even. She was going to win but then a man jumped in between us and yelled at her about trying to use others to do her dirty work. He said she would leave Hercules alone or else. She seemed afraid of him and vanished into her storm.

The sun came back out and the man came over. He introduced himself as Hypnos god of sleep and apologized for Hera. He had the strangest eyes. Just looking at them made me feel like I was under a spell. He was about to leave when he came back and handed me this." Zack holds up what looks like a glass eye on a leather cord. "He warned me to be careful because this talisman is infused with his magic and can put anyone under hypnosis."

"And you're sure you know how to use it?" Ven asks nervously.

"He made it sound really simple," Zack says looking at the talisman.

"Well, alright," Ven says still not sounding 100% convinced. "Just don't make me do anything stupid."

"I won't," Zack promises and then adds with a smile, "This time."

Ven gives him a look, but Zack ignores it pulling Ven over to his bed. "Lie down." Ven frowns at him and Zack sighs in exasperation. "You have to be comfortable for this to work. Just lie down." Ven does as he is told and then looks expectantly at Zack.

Zack sits on the edge of his bed he leans over Ven swinging the talisman in front of Ven's eyes. "Just relax," Zack says in a quiet soothing voice. "Watch the eye. Watch it swing back and forth. Forget everything. Think only about my voice." Zack can see that Ven's eyes are out of focus, but they continue to follow the swinging of the talisman. "You're getting sleepy," Zack continues. "Your eyelids are heavy." Ven at once seemed to struggle to keep his eyes open. "It's ok. Let yourself slip away. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Close your eyes. Relax. Just listen to the sound of my voice." Ven's eyes are closed and his breathing is slow and even.

Zack puts the talisman down on the nightstand beside his bed and after hesitating waves his hand in front of Ven's face. Ven has no reaction and a smile creeps onto Zack's face. "Can you hear me Ven?"

After a moment Ven replies in a slow voice, "Yes."

"Ven, I want you repeat after me. Zack Fair is the sexiest man alive."

"Zack Fair is the sexiest man alive," Ven repeats at once, his face remaining as blank as before. If Ven had been awake Zack knows he wouldn't have been able to say that without blushing. Ven is really hypnotized.

"Awesome," Zack says with a grin, but that melts away as he remembers why they are doing this. "Ok I want you to go to the wasteland Xehanort took you to. Can you picture it?"

...

Ven opens his eyes to see the barren empty world of rust colored rocks. He looks around seeing nothing but the flat rock stretching from horizon to horizon. He hears Zack's voice coming from all around him. "Is Sora with you?"

"Yes," Ven says looking down to see Sora holding his hand and looking up at him with a scared expression. Sora fades away. "But Xehanort has him." Ven looks back up. He is facing Xehanort who has his back to him. With a growl of anger, Ven rushes him and swings his keyblade. In a flash Ven is on the ground looking at Xehanort who wears a cruel smile. Xehanort points to him and his mouth moves. "X-blade," Ven whispers knowing that is what Xehanort had said.

Ven gets to his feet and finds himself looking up at a cliff at the top of which he can see Xehanort and Sora watching him. "I need to save Sora," Ven says.

"What's stopping you Ven?"

"Heartless," Ven replies as he notices neoshadows all around him. He looks up to see Xehanort speaking. Ven says the words he remembers, "Let the dark impulses waken in the pit of your heart. Release them here and now!" The heartless start to move towards him. "Embrace the darkness. Produce for your master the X-blade!"

"What do you do?"

"No!" Ven screams covering his head in an effort to protect himself from the heartless that leap at him. They pile on and he can feel their claws scratching at him. "No! Don't fight! Don't fight!"

"Ven! What's going on?" Zack's voice is urgent.

"Don't fight! It's what he wants," Ven cries curling into a ball on the ground as the shadows pile on top of him.

"Ven!" Zack is calling him. "Ven! What's going on? What do you see?"

...

"Zack!"

Zack turns quickly to see Cloud running down the stairs with Terra and Aqua right behind him. More thundering footsteps bring the other adults down the stairs as well. He jumps to his feet and rushes over to them with his arms out.

"Shh! Shh!" He says frantically waving for Cloud to be quiet.

"What's going on?" Cloud demands. "We heard shouting. Is Ven alright?" He and the others are peering around Zack at Ven lying prone on the bed.

"He's remembering," Zack tells them quickly.

"How-" Terra begins to ask in a loud voice.

"Shh!" Zack says again. "I hypnotized him." Putting his finger to his lips he beckons them over and returns to his spot on the bed next to Ven. "Ven, what do you see now?" Zack asks.

"It's dark," Ven replies in a small voice. "I don't know what's happening."

The others open their mouths to ask questions, but Zack waves at them to stay quiet. He turns back to Ven as the latter says, "I can see something now."

...

Ven opens his eyes finding himself on his back looking up at the dusty sky above the wasteland. "I can't move. I'm too tired," he whispers.

"Is anyone else with you?"

Xehanort's face appears above him. "Xehanort," Ven says. Xehanort's mouth moves and Ven fills in the words he knows were said. "If I must...I will extract the darkness from within you myself."

"What's Xehanort doing Ven?" Zack's voice asks him.

Xehanort's keyblade appears in his hand. Ven looks down the shaft at the old man on the other end. "No, don't, please."

A beam from the keyblade hits Ven in his chest. "Ungh..." Ven cringes in pain.

"Ven?"

The pain builds and builds as a ball of darkness forms in the air above Ven. Unable to stop it, Ven screams out as something wrenches itself from his chest.

"Ven! What's going on? Wake up Ven! Wake up!"

Ven's scream dies away as a dark boy whose face is covered by a mask lands on the ground next to him.

"C'mon Ven! That's enough. Wake up!"

The boy turns his head to look down at Ven. "Vanitas," Ven moans as everything turns black.

...

"Ven? Ven!" Zack calls worried. Ven had screamed out and now after saying the name Vanitas he isn't responding. The others have surrounded the bed and Zack is doing his best to ignore their accusing stares. This is not going as smoothly as Hypnos had made it sound. Zack forces himself to take a calming breath. He puts his hand on Ven's and squeezes. "Ven, what do you see now?"

He holds his breath hoping that Ven will respond and to his relief he does. "Falling...I'm falling."

"Why are you falling?" Zack asks.

"The little I have left is slipping away."

"What?" Zack asks confused.

"Broken...fractured...lost..."

"Ven, where are you?" Zack asks desperate to understand what Ven is telling him.

"My heart...Why are you here?"

"Who is with you Ven?"

"Sora..." Ven says confused.

"Sora is with you?" Zack asks.

"Open the door," Ven says with a sigh and his previously blank face frowns as he slowly opens his eyes blinking.

Zack shifts on the bed and Ven turns to look at him. "I-I remember," Ven says as he sits up. "I-I remember everything."

* * *

**ZACK IS BACK!**

**You didn't think I'd break up Zactus forever did you? **

**Now Ven remembers what happened. Is that good or bad? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. **


	43. Loss

Chapter 43 _Loss_

Ven sits up slowly as Terra and Aqua move next to him. "What do you remember Ven?" Aqua asks gently.

Ven doesn't reply right away as he runs a hand through his hair. "It was just like Sora said. I fought Xehanort and then a bunch of heartless and they defeated me. Then-" He cuts off and grips his shirt over his heart. "I wouldn't use the darkness. He wanted the X-blade and I couldn't let him have it. I couldn't. I couldn't." Ven grabs his head with both hands his face twisted in anguish. "I won't fight," he whispers to himself. "Vanitas said it would be ours, but Master Eraqus had made me promise not to. I'd rather die than let him have it."

"Ven, you're scaring us," Terra says putting a hand on Ven's shoulders. At his touch, Ven stops muttering and lowers his arms. His blue eyes turn to Terra, full of wild fear.

"I'd rather die. But I didn't die. He came, stopped the heartless, made them go away. Darkness. He wanted me to use it. I didn't. I didn't fight. He took it. He took him. He took him from me!" Ven says, the words tumbling over each other in his rush. Ven pushes off a shocked Terra's hand and jumps to his feet. He moves to run away from the group around Zack's bed, but a hand grips his arm and prevents him. Ven whirls around as his vision turns blurry from unshed tears. "He took him! He took him!" Ven suddenly finds himself in a tight embrace that he instantly recognizes as Zack. "Vanitas," Ven mumbles into Zack's chest. "Vanitas."

Zack holds Ven tight looking over his head at the others with a worried and confused expression. He is only met by the equally confused and concerned faces of the others. It takes a minute for the initial shock of Ven's outburst to fade and Aqua is the first to speak. "Ven?" She says hesitantly and he uncurls a little from Zack's chest to look at her. "What did Xehanort do? Who's Vanitas?"

Ven pulls away from Zack and sits back down on the bed. He squeezes his eyes shut and balls his hands into fists. "Vanitas is...was the dark half of my heart," Ven says bowing his head. "Master Yen Sid said my heart was half light half dark, but it was more like two hearts with two personalities. Two different people."

"You said was," Terra points out quietly.

Ven nods and opens his eye, but still keeps them trained on the floor. "Xehanort took Vanitas. That's how he hurt me so bad," Ven says. "He took away part of my heart."

"How?" Zack breathes out.

"This bright light came out of his keyblade. It hit me right here." Ven points to his heart. "All I remember is screaming." Aqua sits beside him and wraps her arms around her. It isn't until she does that that Ven realizes he had been shaking. "And then Vanitas was standing over me. He looked at me, I looked at him. It was the first time I'd ever seen him. Then I passed out."

"You knew Vanitas from before?" Terra asks confused. "But you'd never seen him?"

Ven shakes his head. "He's always been with me. Always. But he didn't talk to me until recently. The first time was in Atlantica."

"Atlantica?" Aqua says. "When did you...?"

"When I was unconscious after killing the sea monster," Ven replies. "He taunted me, tested me. Said I was strong, but he was stronger."

"Why didn't you tell us Ven?" Terra demands. He's concerned, but he sounds angry in his forcefulness.

Ven replies defensively, "I did tell Master Eraqus after-" He snaps his mouth shut and looks away.

"After what Ven?" Aqua asks. Ven glances at her and bites his lip.

"After Carinol," Ven replies ducking his head again. "I'd didn't tell you because you'd think I was crazy. Heck, I thought I was crazy." He takes a big breath and then speaks as quickly as possible. "Keric had me in his bedroom. He had me on his bed with his hands around my throat. Vanitas was talking to me, yelling at me to let him out. I did. I let him have control. He's the one that fought Keric off. I barely remember it happening. It wasn't me doing it." Ven takes another deep breath and looks around at the stunned faces of everyone. "He saved me," Ven says with a smile. "He wanted to save me again with Xehanort, but Master Eraqus had warned me that I couldn't let Vanitas take over again. So I didn't let him."

"So Xehanort took him out of you instead," Terra says and Ven nods.

"Why?" Cloud asks suddenly and Ven turns to look at him. "Why did he take Vanitas out of you? What is he hoping to gain?"

"The X-blade," Ven replies right away and both Terra and Aqua stiffen. "And X as in the letter."

"What's that?" Leon asks frowning. "It sounds familiar."

"It's-" Ven starts to say, but Terra interrupts him by whispering in his ear.

"Master Eraqus told us not to tell them about that," he hisses and Ven turns to him.

"He didn't tell me that."

"Well he told me and Aqua not to. He doesn't everyone to know about your power," Terra whispers.

"It's my secret and I can tell whoever I want," Ven replies and before Terra can stop him, he turns to the curious group. His eyes settle on Zack as he begins to speak. "The X-blade is an ancient and powerful weapon that is connected to Kingdom Hearts. It was destroyed a hundred years ago, but I'm it's wielder so I can recreate it. To do that I have to fight Vanitas and the clash of light and dark will form it. When he was still in my heart, Vanitas wanted to make the X-blade, but I refused. Now that Xehanort took him out of me, Vanitas will be able to confront me with his own body."

A stunned silence follows in the wake of Ven's explanation. "So...Vanitas will confront you and you'll have to fight him?" Zack says slowly and Ven nods. "Then the X-blade will be created?" Zack is obviously worried, but Ven nods again and smiles slightly.

"The X-blade is not a bad thing," Ven says lying a hand on his heart. "It will bring the light of Kingdom Hearts back to the worlds, but Xehanort has evil plans for its power. I won't form the X-blade until he is finished. It is my duty to keep it safe from the likes of him."

The silence returns. Everyone is staring at Ven with varying degrees of shock, awe, and worry. He however pays no attention to their expression and yawns widely. "I'm exhausted. I didn't sleep at all last night," he says to no one in particular. He turns to Terra and Aqua. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"...Sure," Aqua says slowly. Ven nods and leads the entire group upstairs into the bar. The Traverse Town inhabitants take seats in the chairs scattered around the room except Zack who walks Ven out with Terra and Aqua. Back in the square of the 1st district, Terra and Aqua move to wait by the front doors to give Zack and Ven some privacy to say goodbye.

Ven puts his arms around Zack's waist and pulls Zack to him. They kiss gently for a few moments. They break the kiss, but remain holding each other. Zack carrasses Ven's face. "Stay safe," he says quietly. "For me."

"I always stay safe," Ven replies.

"No, no you really don't," Zack says laughing slightly and Ven joins in.

Ven pecks Zack's lips one more time and pulls out of their embrace. "Goodbye Zack."

"Bye Ven. See you soon?"

"Of course," Ven says and gives Zack a final wave as he heads over to Terra and Aqua.

"So you two are back together?" Terra asks watching as Zack goes back inside the bar.

"Yeah," Ven says. "We are."

"We're happy for you," Aqua says with a smile. Ven smiles back and they exit Traverse Town through the big front doors together.

…

Two hours later, Ven is lounging in a chair in Master Eraqus' office with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed sullenly on the tips of his boots. Terra and Aqua had explained about Zack's hypnosis and Vanitas to Master Eraqus, and now the two older apprentices and their master are discussing the ramifications.

"So does he have a heart?" Terra asks.

Master Eraqus nods his head. "Yes. Ventus described his heart as missing a piece. That piece is Vanitas. Xehanort split Ventus heart in two to create two separate people"

"How is that even possible?" Aqua asks.

Ven sighs quietly and tunes out the conversation. They'd been talking in circles and they always ended up back where it had started. How had Xehanort been able to pull Vanitas out of Ven's heart? The only answer they had been able to come up with was simply that keyblades had the ability to unlock a person's heart; an ability none of them, not even Master Eraqus, had ever heard of before.

As the conversation turns once more to hypotheses about Xehanort's plans, Ven let's his eyes wander to the open window and his mind drift to his own thoughts. There had been one thing that had been bothering him since he had regained his memories. _Why hadn't I notice he was gone?_ Ven thinks to himself. _He was half of my heart. Shouldn't I have noticed that he wasn't with me anymore? _

"Ventus?"

Ven snaps back to reality to find the other three looking at him questioningly. He realizes he had sighed loudly while he was lost in his thoughts.

"Ventus, what are you thinking about?" Master Eraqus asks kindly. He has just noticed that this whole conversation had revolved around Ven, yet he had barely spoken a word.

Ven looks around at all of them before sighing again and straightening up in his chair. "I just...don't understand why I didn't notice Vanitas was gone," Ven says quietly. "I mean, he didn't talk to me all the time, but I always knew he was there. Even though I didn't remember Xehanort taking him, I should have been able to feel that he was no longer with me." Ven lowers his head, ashamed of himself. "He was part of me, and I didn't even miss him," Ven whispers.

"Do you miss him now?" Master Eraqus and Ven nods slightly.

"I...feel different without him," Ven admits.

"You've been acting differently," Terra says.

Ven looks at him questioningly. "What's been different?"

Terra and Aqua both shrug, unable to explain, but Master Eraqus speaks up. "You're happier. More innocent or childlike is a good way to explain it."

Ven thinks for a long time before asking, "Why?"

"I have my theories," Master Eraqus says. "However, this is a matter of the heart and I happen to know a wise man who has done much research to gather an immense knowledge of hearts. He may be able to answer your questions better than I can."

Ven nods and gets to his feet. "Can we go see him?"

"Yes," Master Eraqus says. "But it is late and I can tell you are tired. We will go tomorrow morning."

"I'm not that tired," Ven says in denial, but can't keep himself from yawning.

Master Eraqus smiles. "Tomorrow," he says firmly and Ven just nods knowing arguing would be useless. After murmuring goodnight to the others, Ven exits the office and heads to his bedroom where he flops down on top of his covers still fully clothed and promptly falls asleep.

…

The bright sunlight of the next morning wakes Ven slowly. Turning away from the light, he burrows deeper into his blanket hoping to fall back to sleep, but before he can he remembers Master Eraqus' promise of taking him to see the man who knew everything about hearts and he bolts upright. He throws the blanket over him off and then frowns. Hadn't he fallen asleep on top of his covers? He looks down at his feet. And with his shoes on?

Getting to his feet, he spots his shoes next to the couch across his room and his jacket lying on the cushions. He throws on the jacket and shoves his feet into the shoes quickly before rushing downstairs. He finds all the others already in the kitchen.

"Did you sleep well?" Master Eraqus asks him as he takes his seat at the table.

"Sleep well?" Terra asks laughing slightly. "He slept like a rock. Didn't even wake up when me and Aqua went in his room."

"So it was you guys who took my shoes off," Ven says.

"Yep," Terra says. "Has anyone ever told you you like to kick in your sleep?"

"I do not!" Ven replies.

"Yeah you do," Riku says and Ven turns to find him and and Sora both nodding in agreement with Terra.

Ven snaps his mouth shut and quickly gets to his feet, heading to the pantry to get some cereal with his head held high. He returns with a bowl of Lucky Charms.

"So who is this researcher you were telling us about?" Terra asks while reaching for the jug of milk to refill his glass, but before he can, the jug is snatched out of his fingers by Ven. Terra turns surprised to see Ven with his tongue sticking out at him. As Ven pours the milk on his cereal, Terra mutters under his breath, "I'd say childlike is right."

Ven however hears him and frowns at him. "Just for that, you're not getting any milk!" Ven says clutching the jug to himself to prevent Terra from taking it.

Master Eraqus clears his throat loudly while rubbing his temple. Both Ven and Terra turn to look at him. "Ventus, give Terra the milk," Master Eraqus says in a firm voice. "Terra, don't irritate Ventus." Ven sullenly hands over the jug and Master Eraqus continues. "The man I spoke of before is named Ansem. Ansem the Wise is his full title. He is the benevolent ruler of the world Radiant Garden. He has studied the human heart at great length as well as the heartless to gain an understanding of the fickle nature of a heart. I hope he will be able to explain better than I the effects that splitting Vanitas from you has had on both of you."

"Then let's go!" Ven exclaims, jumping to his feet. With a smile, he holds out his hand and a light corridor appears. Ven taps his foot impatiently while he waits for the others to rise from the table. Once they are all standing, Ven turns and walks through the light corridor first.

He emerges in the center of a large square. He looks around curiously seeing that there are multiple roads that lead away from the square.

"That is the castle where Ansem conducts his research," Master Eraqus says and Ven turns to see all the others had come through the portal. He looks in the direction Master Eraqus is pointing to see a huge castle with many spires that towered over the rest of the city. "This way," Master Eraqus calls and Ven tears his eyes away from the impressive structure to follow the others down one of the roads.

Ven suddenly feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he glances back over his shoulder. He looks around the entire square and out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a flash of blue near one of the other exits of the square. He turns to look in that direction, but there is nothing there. Despite seeing nothing, Ven has to clench his fist tight to keep from summoning his keyblade.

"You coming Ven?" Aqua calls.

"Yeah," Ven replies. He takes one last look towards the spot where he had seen the flash of blue before shrugging and turning to follow the other keyblade wielders to the castle where hopefully he will find the answers he is looking for.

* * *

**Mexi: We'll get a peek at what Vanitas is up to in a couple of chapters.**

**Zephyr26: I got lots planned for Zack, just wait :)**

**ShinyGlaceon: YAY! YOU WERE MY HUNDREDTH REVIEW! *throws confetti in the air* WOOOOOOOOOOO! And you said you love my story which makes me super happy! **

**Reaching 100 reviews made my day! Thank you everyone who's taken the time to leave one. They really do make me more eager to write this story.**

**So Master Eraqus pointed out that Ven has been acting more childlike, but there is another indication of change in Ven. Have you noticed? I'll give you a hint if you haven't: it's a change in his diction.**

**Also, anyone know what the flash of blue Ven saw was? I'm curious to see if anyone can guess.**


	44. A New Threat

Chapter 44 _A New Threat_

Braig stood guard outside the front doors of the castle like every other day and like every other day he silently cursed Ansem the Wise. Its been about two weeks since he had returned to Radiant Garden after finding Keric for Xehanort and rejoined the guards of the castle. Ansem had of course noticed his absence and questioned him at length, not believing Braig's vague story of having to leave to deal with 'something that had come up'. The old man had been keeping a watchful eye on Braig since then leaving Braig with no opportunity to slip away and discover if Xehanort's plan had worked. Needless to say he is itching for news because he knows without Xehanort's success, he would never get any of the incredible power he had been promised.

As if walking straight out of his thoughts, Braig looks up to see the keyblade apprentices and their master coming towards the doors to the castle. His eyes widened in shock seeing the boy Ventus among them looking no different than when Briag had last seen him. As they approach, Braig makes sure to smooth his expression into one uncaring despite the warning bells going off in his head.

"His lordship is not receiving visitors today," Dilan, the second guard, says in a bored voice as the group of six reaches them.

"My apologizes," Master Eraqus replies in an even voice. "But this is an urgent matter. I must speak to Ansem the Wise at once."

Braig meets Dilan's eye and sees that the other man is looking to him for a decision. "I'd say let them in," Braig says with a shrug. "Old Ansem can refuse to see them if he wants." Seeing that Dilan is not going to argue, Braig turns to the keyblade wielders. "Right this way," Braig says with a cocky smile as he pushes open the heavy door. "Let's see what the mad scientists are up to today."

As he ushers the group inside, Braig finds himself the object of attention of the two youngest boys. Zola and Rikky? Skippy and Rufus? He can't remember their names, but their continued unabashed stares annoy him so he twists his face into an evil grin. Despite Braig's attempts to scare the children, they only see his expression and split into wide grins. Ignoring them, Briag looks around and spots the youngest apprentice, Ienzo, coming down the hallway in his too large lab coat.

"Hey short stuff!" Braig calls and the seven year old boy looks up from the ground to stare at him with the one eye not hidden behind his slate colored hair. "Come here Ienzo." The young boy complies and walks over to Braig without a word. "Where's Ansem hiding today?"

"He's in his office," Ienzo replies in a quiet voice.

"Thanks kiddo," Briag says slapping Ienzo's shoulder. He motions for the others to follow as he leads them deeper into the castle. Sora is the last in the group and as they turn a corner, he looks back and waves to Ienzo. He smiles hugely as the other boy hesitantly waves back.

"Sora!" Master Eraqus calls and Sora quickly hurries to catch up with the others.

…

"Ansem," Braig says as he opens the door to the small office without knocking. A older blond man with his long hair slicked back looks up with a raised eyebrow from his desk where diagrams of the different parts of a heart are spread out. "There's some people here to see you."

"I asked not to be disturbed today," Ansem replies in a low voice. He sighs. "Who is it, Braig?"

"It's-" Braig catches himself just in time. He of course knows their names, well most of their names, from spying on them with Xehanort, but he couldn't let them know that.

He sticks his head back into the corridor. "What'd you say your name was?"

"I did not say," Master Eraqus replies. "Tell Ansem it is Eraqus and his students."

"Righty-o," Braig says going back into Ansem's office. The older man's strange orange eyes puts Braig on edge like always. "Some guy named Eraqus and his kiddies," Braig says and Ansem smiles, putting down the papers in his hands.

"Show them in." Braig disappears into the hallway and returns quickly with the keyblade wielders in tow. Knowing Ansem would not allow him to stay, Braig leaves quietly wishing he could stick around and hear what they are going to discuss.

Ansem stands and walks around his desk. "Eraqus, my old friend, it has been too long."

He and Master Eraqus shake hands. "Too long indeed," Master Eraqus replies.

"You seem to have quite a few more apprentices with you now," Ansem says looking around at the apprentices. His eyes settle on Ven and his brow furrows slightly.

"I have," Master Eraqus says, bringing Ansem's attention back to himself. "Terra and Aqua." He indicates his two older apprentices. They shake Ansem's hand with polite smiles. "You met them when they were only six years old."

"Ah, yes." Ansem nods thoughtfully. "I remember; though I doubt they do."

"Sorry, no," Aqua says. "But it is nice to meet you."

Ansem looks down at Sora and Riku who were staying close to Terra and Aqua. "And who are these two young ones?"

"Sora and Riku," Master Eraqus replies indicating who is who. "They are our two newest additions." Master Eraqus beckons Ven forward and he takes a step closer to the others with a look of slight apprehension. "And this is Ventus. He is the one I came to ask your advice about."

Ansem moves to stand in front of Ven. Ven finds himself unable to tear his eyes away from the strange orange ones studying him. After several moments under his intense stare, Ven shifts slightly and Ansem decides to speak. "I can tell your heart has been severely injured recently," Ansem states not unkindly. He reaches out a hand, but pauses. "May I?" He asks Ven who nods watching him carefully. Ansem reaches out again and rests it over Ven's heart.

Ven feels a small shock and stiffens as an image of Vanitas' masked face flashes in front of his eyes. Vanitas lifts his hands to the bottom of the faceless helmet he wears. He starts to slowly pull it off, but before Ven can see his face, he disappears as Sora's smiling face replaces him. A second later, Sora is gone as well and Ven blinks in the bright light of Ansem's office. Ven stumbles back clutching a hand over his heart. Ansem's hand is on his shoulder now and he looks up to see compassion in the man's eyes.

"I'm sorry if that was painful for you, Ventus," Ansem says as he gently steers Ven to a chair in front of his desk. The others watch silently, afraid to interrupt.

"Did you see that too?" Ven asks and his suspicion is confirmed when Ansem nods.

"I needed to see who your heart is connected to." Ansem turns away from Ven. "Sora, can you come here?"

Sora walks over at Master Eraqus' urging and stands nervously, looking shyly up at Ansem. "May I?" Ansem asks Sora raising his hand to do the same thing he had done to Ven.

"Is it gonna hurt?" Sora asks with wide eyes.

"No," Ven tells Sora. "It's just weird." Sora's eyes are still slightly afraid Ven takes Sora's hand and squeezes it. "You can do it."

Sora looks back at Ansem and nods. When Ansem's hand touches Sora's heart, Ven feels the same small shock in his hand he had felt in his chest before and images appear again. He sees himself and then a flash of light. Now it is him beside Vanitas with their keyblades at their sides and the blades are crossed.

Sora gasps and pulls away from Ansem making the image dissolve. He grips Ven's hand tighter and looks at him in confusion. Ansem walks around his desk to sit in his chair. He is obviously deep in thought as he asks, "Who was the other boy?"

"Vanitas," Ven answers. "He was the dark half of my heart, but he is his own person now."

Ansem leans forward in his chair. "I think it is time for you to tell me the entire story."

Before anyone can talk however, Braig bursts back through the door. "Ansem! The heartless are back. They've been spotted in the Gardens."

"Not again," Ansem says sighing and closing his eyes. He then opens them and turns to Master Eraqus. "Would your apprentices be willing to assist Braig with this threat?"

"Of course," Master Eraqus says. "Terra? Aqua?"

"We'll eliminate the threat," Terra says confidently with a nod to Ansem. He turns to Briag. "Lead the way." Braig nods and hurries out of the office with Terra and Aqua following him.

…

"The Gardens are just outside the castle," Braig says over his shoulder as Terra and Aqua follow him out of the castle. They walk in silence for a little while, but Braig decides to risk asking a few questions as they turn down the path that leads them to their destination. "What are you and your friends asking Ansem about? If you don't mind me asking."

"Ven, he is the blond boy with us, his heart was hurt by an evil man a little while ago," Aqua replies. "We are hoping Ansem can help us understand what happened."

"That's too bad for your friend," Braig says trying to sound sympathetic. "If anyone's got the answers it'd be Ansem. The man might be a cold bastard sometimes, but he knows his stuff when it comes to hearts."

They have finally reached the gardens which consisted of three tiers of land. On alert for any sign of the heartless, Terra and Aqua summon their keyblade. Braig takes a moment to eye the weapons hungrily before pulling out his two arrowguns. He checks them briefly to make sure they are fully loaded before leading the keyblade wielders across the highest tier. They have only taken half a dozen steps when about twenty small blue creatures appear all around them. They form a loose circle around the three of them.

"Are these heartless?" Terra asks slowly. His eyes flicker around at the blue creatures seeing how quick their movements are. Most heartless are clumsy, but these creatures look completely balanced and ready to attack with almost no warning.

"They don't look like heartless," Aqua replies out of the corner of her mouth.

"Doesn't matter," Braig says. "They don't belong in this world." With that he fires his gun twice and two of the strange creatures fall and disappear. Despite this show of force, the rest of the creatures are undeterred and charge forward.

The creatures are small and quick, but Aqua is faster. She catches the first creature that jumps at her with a precise slash of her keyblade. Without pausing to watch it disappear, she spins around to meet a second one. She lunges at it, her keyblade passing easily through it and as soon as her feet touch ground again she cartwheels to the right, ending up behind three of the small creatures. They turn to face her, but before they can react she calls out, "Blizzaga!" Three ice chunks fly out of the end of her keyblade and head right for the blue creatures. Their small red eyes widen slightly and then the ice strikes them, putting an end to them right away.

Aqua spins around to see that the rest of the creatures had been taken care of by Terra and Braig except one. She frowns and charges towards it only to have her arm grabbed by Braig. She is pulled roughly to a stop and she yanks her arm back giving Braig a scowl. He however smiles at her. "Sorry Missy. Can't let you kill the last one. We still have to figure out what they are. Let's capture this one and bring it back to the castle. See what Ansem can make of it."

"That's a good idea," Terra says, but Aqua is still skeptical.

"And how exactly do you propose to catch it?" She asks Braig.

"Watch and learn baby," he replies with a wink.

"Watch it Braig," Terra says suddenly cold towards the man. "That's my girlfriend you're talking to."

"Whoops," Braig says with a grin. "My bad." He suddenly turns and shoots at the little blue creature which had been trying to sneak away unnoticed as they talked. The bullet hits the ground a few inches from it, causing it to leap back in surprise. "Trying to run, huh? As if!" He shouts at it before running at it with his hands outstretched. Terra is right behind him and the two begin to chase the quick creature around the top tier of the garden. Just as Terra is about to get his hand around it, it sinks into the ground like a shadow heartless and pops up a few paces away.

Aqua sighs and shakes her head. "Men," she says under her breath. "Never stop to think before they act." She is about to go assist them with a well placed Stop spell, but a movement out of the corner of her eye makes her turn away. Down on the second tier, is another of the creatures.

"Hey!" She calls to the other two, but they are too focused on the elusive creature so with a shrug she runs down the steps to take care of the one little bugger herself.

She reaches the second tier just in time to see a blue flash as the creature she is chasing heads down the steps to the bottom tier. Following it, she sees it running towards a young girl kneeling in a patch of flowers by a group of bushes. "Stop!" Aqua shouts and the girl turns startled to see the blue creature nearly on top of her. She squeaks in fear, but the creature freezes mid step as Aqua's spell hits it. Aqua quickly runs over and ends the small creature with a single swipe of her keyblade.

She then lets her keyblade disappear as she crouches down beside the young girl. Large blue eyes look at her in awe, framed by straight red hair. "Thank you for saving me," the young girl says shyly.

"Oh you're so sweet," Aqua says smiling. "My name is Aqua. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Kairi. It's nice to meet you too!" Kairi grins happily as she gets to her feet and dusts off her white shirt and pink skirt. She looks past Aqua and gasps causing Aqua to whirl around. Creatures of all different shapes and sizes that Aqua has never seen before appear around them.

"Go hide!" Aqua says frantically to Kairi who obeys immediately, crawling behind the bushes. Aqua summons her keyblade and stands tall with it at her side. She glares angrily at the creatures and without any fear she charges forward to meet them head on.

A large, round, black and red creature is the first one she strikes and easily gets a combo on it. However, with every hit, the creature swells up slightly. On the last hit it gets even bigger and turns red. Now a perfect sphere, it starts to roll towards Aqua who slashes at it again with her keyblade. She feels a shock travel down her arm as her keyblade bounces off the now solid creature. She jumps back, but the creature keeps rolling towards her. The glowing red color grows stronger and Aqua tries to run out of its way only to find her escape path blocked by a group of blue creatures similar to the first blue creatures she had seen, but these have wickedly sharp claws. She readies her keyblade to fight them, but something bumps into her back. The rolling heartless! She dives to the side as the creature behind her explodes and when she hits the ground she quickly rolls to her feet. The blue, clawed creatures rush her all at once and she steps forward to meet them.

"Firaga!" She shouts manipulating the magic to pull off a move called Raging Storm. She feels her feet leave the ground as three pillars of fire appear and start to move in a circle around her. Floating half a foot off the ground she wills herself to move for forward and she does, the pillars of fire staying around her. The group of clawed creatures are instantly fried by the inferno and she quickly moves around the garden taking out as many of the creatures as possible before the time of the spell runs out.

Just as she takes out the last of the blue creatures, the fire flickers and fades as she falls back to the ground. A shadow falls over her and she looks up to see one of the red and black exploding creatures falling towards her belly first. She quickly cartwheels out of the way causing it to smack into the ground. It bounces right up however and moves to fall on her again. This time she raises her keyblade over her head and braces it with both hands. The creature hits the keyblade and bounces off, falling to the side of her. As it tries to pick itself off the ground, Aqua notices a yellow valve on its back that she hadn't seen before. In a split second, Aqua's mind flashes to fighting Large Body heartless where attacking from the front did nothing, but attacking from the back was devastating. Maybe these new creatures would be the same.

The red and black creature is back on its feet, but as it turns to her she jumps as high as she can and flips over it to land behind it. Before it can turn, she attacks the yellow wheel in a lightning fast combo noticing with satisfaction that her hits are not causing it to swell. One more hit and it disappears without exploding and Aqua turns confidently to the last three creatures left, the same type as the red and black one she had just figured out how to kill.

She runs towards them and jumps with a flip to reach the valves on their backs. However, as she attacks one's valve, the other two get too close and her keyblade nicks their fronts causing them to swell. As one of the creatures fades, the other two turn red and roll at her. She runs around the garden hoping to evade them, but they follow and keep pace. The glowing red gets brighter. Aqua skids to a stop and turns to face them yelling, "Stopra!"

The two creatures looking ready to explode are suddenly frozen in time. Aqua runs back across the garden and turns to watch as the spell wears off and the two creatures explode ending the battle.

"Aqua!"

Terra's worried shout is from above and she looks up to see him and Braig looking down at her from the second tier. She gives them a wave to show she is alright and they disappear from view presumably to take the stairs down to her level.

The snapping of a twig causes Aqua to whirl around thinking there are more of the creatures, but she relaxes seeing it is only Kairi crawling out of the bushes. "Are they gone?" Kairi asks looking around.

Aqua kneels down beside her. "Yes, they're gone."

Kairi smiles at her and thrusts out the hand she had been keeping behind her back. "Here!" She is holding out a bouquet of flowers to Aqua.

"Are these for me?" Aqua asks.

Kairi bobs her head up and down. "I picked you some flowers."

"Oh, they're lovely," Aqua says taking them and breathing in the perfumed scent. She hears footsteps behind her and turns, standing as Terra and Braig walk over. Braig has his hands clasped firmly around the small struggling creature the two men had been chasing before, pinning its arms to its sides. "So you caught it?" She says raising an eyebrow.

"I told you not to doubt me Missy," Braig says giving her a crooked smile.

Terra snorts and rolls his eyes. "I used a stop spell to freeze it," he explains to Aqua.

"What do you think it-" Aqua starts to ask, but she is cut off as a shock goes through her body starting from her hand still gripping her keyblade. It causes the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up straight and with a small gasp she looks down to see Kairi taking her hand off Aqua's keyblade with a confused expression.

"Aqua did you just..." Terra says slowly.

Aqua glances at him and then back at Kairi who is staring at her hands. "I think I did," Aqua says softly.

"Uh...missing something here," Braig says, but they both ignore him.

"Can I go home?" Kairi asks looking up at Aqua with her big blue eyes.

"Yeah...can I come with you?" Aqua asks. Kairi smiles at her and nods her head happily. "Alright I just need to talk to my friend for a moment." She and Terra move out of earshot of the others. Braig watches them with his eyes narrowed while Kairi resumes picking flowers.

"Did I really just give her a keyblade?" Aqua asks Terra worriedly.

"What did it feel like?" Terra asks.

"It was like a shock," Aqua replies. "Like a rush of energy."

Terra nods slowly. "Sounds like how it felt when I gave it to Riku."

Aqua's face pales slightly. "Alright. I have to think..." She starts to pace in an attempt to think straight, but her thoughts remain as confused and muddled as ever. Strong arms wrap around her and she looks up at Terra.

"Go back home with the girl," Terra says in a gentle voice. "I'll tell Master Eraqus what happened and he'll come help you sort this out, okay?"

Aqua takes a deep breath. "Okay. Thank you Terra."

"Anytime," Terra says with a grin and kisses her. She kisses back gently before pulling herself out of his embrace. They walk back over to Braig and Kairi hand in hand.

Kairi runs over to them and asks, "Do you want to see my doll Aqua? Her name is Destiny."

"I'd love to," Aqua says and Kairi grabs her hand pulling her towards the town. Aqua gives Terra a quick kiss before letting herself be dragged away.

Terra watches her go in deep thought until Braig says, "Gonna tell me what's up?"

Terra regards him for a moment. "No. Let's just head back to the castle and get the others to take a look at that thing." Without waiting for Braig to agree, he starts back towards the castle with Briag hurrying after him, muttering curses at the keyblade wielders quietly so only the blue creature in his hands can hear.

* * *

**Xehanorto, Ruby Warrior Girl 730, and AquaTitaniaMiyuki guessed right that the blue flash Ven saw at the end of the last chapter was the first sighting of the Unversed (even though our heroes don't know that's what they are yet)**

**Dream For Tonight, Xehanorto, and ShinyGlaceon picked up on the fact that Ven no longer swears! (I'm actually a little sad about this fact considering I was enjoying his potty mouth and the trouble it would get him in) **

**ShinyGlaceon: Thank you so much! You really made my day :)**

**Since I'm sure you're wondering, Kairi is going to be sweet and girly like in the games, but she isn't going to be a helpless damsel in distress. She probably won't be as badass as Aqua, but she will still kick butt every now and then when she is older.**

**Braig fighting alongside Terra and Aqua...weird right? Don't worry, that will never happen again. **

**And someone (sry! I don't have time to search through the reviews to find out who) asked me before to have a scene of just Aqua fighting so here you go! Hope you liked it!**


	45. Heart Connections

Chapter 45 _Heart Connections_

"Every person we ever see or come into contact with in our lifetime leaves a connection between us and them," Ansem says to Ven who is still seated in front of the large desk in Ansem's offive with Sora. Master Eraqus and Riku stand behind them listening as well. "These connections are usually only wisps of threads, but they will hold nonetheless. However, there are always a few who our connections with are as binding as the toughest rope. Ventus, Vanitas was originally part of your heart. In some ways you are nearly the same person. Your connection runs deeper than any other you will ever have. Even it was not for the X-blade, your destinies would forever be intertwined because your hearts' connection would always bring the two of you back together."

Ansem turns from a shocked Ven to look at Sora. "Sora, my child, you touched Ventus' heart when it was broken and left a piece of your light with him so he could heal. Through that act, you not only touched Ventus' heart, but you touched Vanitas' as well. This created a connection nearly as deep as the one between Ventus and Vanitas. The simplest way to explain it is that all three of you have been connected in such a way that even I cannot fathom the full implications."

"What can you tell us about it?" Ven asks quietly, looking into the wise man's eyes.

"I can tell you some about your and Vanitas' connection," Ansem replies to Ven. "However, I can say little on Sora's connection to the two of you since that connection was never meant to exist in the depth it now is."

Ansem pauses to collect his thoughts. "The personality shift you have experienced is understandable, I imagine Vanitas has gone through the same. Light and dark can balance each other out when put together, but separated their true nature is exposed. Without Vanitas is your heart, anger and rage are no longer strong emotions for you. Happiness, associated with light, is now your primary emotion. For Vanitas, he most likely feels anger and rage always. He no longer has your light to sooth the dark emotions in him so expect him to be crueler than you remember."

"Ventus," Ansem says leaning forward slightly. "Vanitas may have saved you in the past, but do not count on him doing it again. Before, he was part of you and felt your pain. By helping you he was helping himself. Now that you are separated he can hurt you or let others hurt you without feeling the pain himself. Along with that, he has become pure darkness. You cannot trust as he is not the same as the voice you knew in your head."

"With all do respect, I don't believe you," Ven says to everyone's surprise. "He may be pure darkness and he may be angry, but won't let anyone hurt me. He may not be the same as he once was, but I know if it really comes down to it, he'd do anything to save my life."

"Ventus, you must heed Ansem's warning," Master Eraqus says putting a hand on Ven's shoulder.

Ven turns to him and stubbornly shakes his head. "You're all just guessing. Believe what you want, but you haven't met Vanitas. I knew him before and I'd like to think he hasn't changed." Ven pauses for a moment. "And even if you're right and he has, there is still something connecting us. I can't explain it, but I can't imagine hurting him and I believe he feels the same about me."

Any further argument is interrupted by the office door opening and Terra walking in with Braig behind him. Ven jumps to his feet seeing the small blue creature struggling in Braig's grasp. He can't take his eyes off it and after a moment its bright red eyes settle on him as well.

"What is that?" Ansem says also rising from his chair. He quickly crosses the room and inspects the creature with an air of excitement. "I've never seen such a creature before. Eraqus? Have you?"

"I have not," Master Eraqus says also staring curiously at the strange creature. "A new kind of heartless possibly?"

"It's not a heartless."

Master Eraqus and Ansem both turn to see Ven grim faced. "How do you know that, Ventus?" Master Eraqus asks.

Instead of answering Ven moves to stand next to Braig. He reaches out a hand hesitantly, keeping his eyes on the beady red ones staring back at him.

"Careful Ven," Terra warns. "It's quick."

Ven makes no acknowledgement that he heard him. He stretches out his arm and gently touches the top of the creature. It doesn't make any move to attack him so he moves his hand slightly. Everyone but Ven is shocked when it makes a sound almost like a purr at his touch. Ven continues to pet the creature, but looks to Master Eraqus.

"It's connected to Vanitas," he says. "I can feel it. It feels just like he used to when he was annoyed with me."

"So you're saying this creature has Vanitas' emotions?" Terra asks in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"I'm not wrong," Ven replies in an even voice. "Why else would it not attack me?"

Everyone is stumped for a moment and it is Ansem who is the first to speak. "Ventus, are there any other emotions you can feel?"

Ven shakes his head no and Ansem moves to pet the creature much like Ven. The change in demeanor is nearly instantaneous. It hisses and tries to lunge at Ansem it eyes burning. The change is so fast, Braig is barely able to keep his grip on the struggling creature.

"It would appear that Ventus is correct," Ansem says taking a step back. "This is a creature born of negative emotion. Vanitas' negative emotions to be exact."

"He created them?" Terra asks.

"Indeed," Ansem replies. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally this creature's connection to Vanitas is unmistakable. I have never seen such things. It would appear that Vanitas is unversed in his ability to control his emotions and these creatures, these negative emotions are the result."

"Unversed is a good name for them," Braig pipes in. "The little bastards couldn't put up a very good fight."

"As good a name as any," Ansem says with a shrug. "What we call them is unimportant. It needs to be studied in greater detail. Braig, take it to the lab." A secret door suddenly opens in the wall and Braig steps towards it.

"Wait!" Ven shouts and Braig pauses to look at him. "What...what are you going to do to it?"

"I'll discover any secrets it is able to tell us about Vanitas," Ansem replies dismissively.

"But-"

"Hush now Ventus," Master Eraqus says sternly. "What Ansem can find may be of use to us. Come now," he gestures for his apprentices to follow him. "We have intruded on Ansem's hospitality long enough. It is time to return home. Terra, where is Aqua?"

"Well," Terra says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "There was this young girl…"

…

"Where are her parents?" Master Eraqus asks as he takes the cup of tea from Meredith, Kairi's grandmother.

"They died when she was just a baby," Meredith replies sadly as she sits in the chair at the kitchen table across from him. She glances into the main room where Kairi and Aqua are sitting together on the floor. Aqua is showing Kairi how to weave the flowers she had picked into a crown. "This world was more dangerous back then. The heartless killed them and several others at the marketplace one day."

Meredith lowers her head and Master Eraqus watches her sadly. "I am her only family," Meredith says lifting her head once more. Despite her saddened voice, he can see the fierce look of determination in her eyes. "And she is all I have left as well. But I always knew one day she would leave me. I've always known that she's special."

Kairi laughs as Aqua places the completed crown on her red hair. She twirls around with huge smile.

"That she is," Master Eraqus agrees feeling the light coming off the young girl.

"Take her to your school," Meredith says in a choked voice. "It is what's best for her. Just- just promise me you'll take good care of her."

Master Eraqus gives her a small smile. "I will."

…

"What's taking so long?" Ven asks for the third time and Terra rolls his eyes.

"I don't know Ven," Terra says in a hard voice. "We just have to wait."

Ven sighs at this answer lays down in the grass. He and Terra are sitting in the main square of Radiant Garden waiting for Master Eraqus to return with Aqua and the new girl. Sora and Riku had found a small frog hiding in a flower bed and are passing time by chasing the poor creature around the empty square.

Just like in Traverse Town, the people of Radiant Garden kept mostly indoors, afraid of the heartless and now of the unversed as well. However, two boys suddenly turn a corner and enter the square in a hurry. The two are hard to miss. One has very blue hair and the other's is flaming red. The boy with the blue hair barely glances at the keyblade wielders as they pass, but the second boy looks right at them.

"Who are you?" The red head stops and asks curiously.

"Lea," the boy with blue hair says in an exasperated voice. "We don't have time for this."

"Lighten up Isa," Lea replies. "This will only take a sec. Can't you see that their new around here?"

Terra and Ven get to their feet as Lea walks over with a cheery grin. "Hey there, name's Lea. Got it memorized?"

"Terra," Terra says indicating himself. "And this is Ven."

Lea nods, his hair bouncing up and down. "And who are the rugrats?" He asks gesturing to Sora and Riku.

"I'm not a rugrat!" Riku shouts angrily as he and Sora run over.

"Yeah! Me neither!" Sora shouts as well. "And I'm gonna be five in two weeks." To emphasize his point, Sora holds up five fingers.

"Well I'm eight!" Lea replies leaning over Sora to show how much taller he is. Sora's comeback is to stick his tongue out and seeing him Lea does the same.

Terra sighs. "Was there something you two wanted?" He asks Lea and Isa.

"No," Isa says in a bored voice. "Lea just likes sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Ha! You're one to talk," Lea says turning away from Sora to face his friend. "You love going where we don't belong. That's why you want to go to the castle so badly isn't-" Lea is suddenly cut off by Isa's hand clamping down over his loud mouth.

"We really should be going," Isa says firmly all but dragging Lea away with him.

"I'll see ya when I see ya!" Lea calls out to them after finally removing Isa's hand. He gives them a cocky smile just before Isa pulls him around a corner and out of sight.

"Hmph, what a weird kid," Ven says as he and Terra sit back down in the grass.

Terra punches him lightly in the shoulder. "You're one to talk."

"Hey! At least I'm weird because I'm the X-blade wielder. He's just annoying."

"I dunno," Terra says lying back in the grass. "You can be pretty annoying too."

Ven pouts, but before he can reply they hear Sora shout, "Master Eraqus! Over here!"

They look up to see Sora and Riku waving frantically to their teacher as he enters the square from the far side. Behind him is Aqua holding the hand of the red headed girl who now has a crown of flowers in her hair. Ven and Terra get to their feet as the others reach them.

"Terra, Ventus, Riku, and Sora, this is Kairi," Master Eraqus says to introduce everyone and Kairi smiles shyly at them all. "Kairi is going to come join us at MEKA. Kairi's five so she is about the same age as you, Sora and Riku."

Riku nods and says hello, but the usually loud Sora is at a loss for words. He simply stares with his mouth slightly open at Kairi. Ven covers his own mouth with his hand to hide a chuckle.

Terra nudges him and whispers in his ear. "Don't laugh. You were the same way when you first met Zack."

"Was not!" Ven exclaims louder than he meant to. The others look at him curiously having not heard Terra's comment. Ven blushes, the tips of his ears turning red. "Was not!" He hisses much quieter at Terra who gives him a knowing smile before turning away.

"I'm Sora!" The young boy shouts suddenly having finally found his voice again. "Uh, it's nice to meet you Kairi."

"It's nice to meet you too," Kairi replies with a giggle.

Master Eraqus smiles lovingly down at his young apprentices. Kairi would be a perfect addition to his school. "Kairi, if you're ready, we can leave."

Kairi's face drops into a small frown as she looks around one last time at the town she'd always called home. This morning she never would have dreamed of leaving, but now with her new friends she is excited to set out. Now smiling, she looks up at Master Eraqus, "I'm ready," she says in a determined voice.

Master Eraqus summons a light corridor back to MEKA and his older three apprentices take the younger three's hands and lead them into the portal. Terra goes first with Riku, Aqua follows with Kairi, and Ven is pulled through by an eager Sora. Master Eraqus follows his apprentices with a small smile and as he walks through, the light corridor in Radiant Garden vanishes.

…

"Do not try that again boys or we might not be so lenient," Dilan thunders as he and Braig each toss one of the mischief makers out the front door of the castle. The two boys land on the ground and quickly get to their feet. The red headed one flashes the two guards a cocky smile before his more serious blue haired friend drags him away from the castle door.

"Damn kids," Braig mutters under his breath. He'd been in a bad mood ever since the keyblade wielders had left. He'd tried to convince Ansem to tell him what they had discussed, but the old man had stubbornly refused and sent Braig back to guard duty.

"Maybe we should follow them and make sure they leave," Dilan suggests. "You know, make sure they don't double back and try to sneak in again."

"I doubt that's necessar-" Braig starts to say, but cuts himself off causing Dilan to look at him curiously. "Actually, that's a great idea," Braig says as he begins to walk away. "I'll follow the kiddies. Hold the fort now."

Before Dilan could argue or question him, Braig sets off down the steps from the castle. He had seen the boys heading towards the town square and that is probably where Dilan expects him to go. "As if!" Braig says to himself as he walks towards the secluded gardens. "Like I'd waste my time following those troublemakers."

Alone in the gardens, Braig holds up a hand and concentrates hard. A dark corridor appears, and with a grin he steps through. "Let's see what the old coot's been up to."

* * *

**Okie Dokie! I just want to point out one thing.**

**As Lea said he is eight making Isa also about the same age even though it isn't specifically stated. I know that in the game they are supposed to be Ven's age (15) but I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. There's gonna be AkuRoku in the sequel :) I don't want Axel to be a pedophile so by making him and Sora only three years apart (remember Sora is almost five) so Roxas and Axel will only be three years apart as well.**

**Also, I said Kairi is already five making Sora the youngest of the three because I like him as the baby of their dysfunctional family. **

**Everyone hates Vanitas. Well, except for Ven. He doesn't think Vani is all that bad. Is he right? Is he wrong? Maybe we'll find out next chapter and maybe we won't. I'm not entirely sure myself. **

**Mexi: I'm sorry you had a fever and school. I only have three more days of freedom :( **

**Zephyr26: Yeah in this story Kairi is going to be like Sora and Riku have been where they don't do any fighting because they are little kids, but in the sequel she'll fight right along side the boys.**

**ShinyGlaceon: I realize now that I never actually showed Kairi summoning her keyblade but yeah it is going to be the same one Kairi has in KHII (I looked it up it's called Destiny's Embrace). It's not my favorite because of all the flowers and girly stuff, but I think it is appropriate with her having given Aqua flowers just before receiving the keyblade. Ven and Zack will fight together again, but not for awhile. **

**Garrett4976: And that's how Sora met Kairi. It was love at first sight, at least for Sora. XD**


	46. When Life Gives You Lemons…

Chapter 46 _When Life Gives You Lemons…_

As soon as Braig walks out of the dark corridor and he smells the unmistakable smell of sulfur that fills the desolate world known as the Keyblade Graveyard. He is met by a scream of fury. "Woah!" He shouts jumping in surprise. In a split second he has his guns pulled out and his head swivels back and forth as he tries to find the source of the noise.

Another scream. It sounds like the same person, but this time there is pain mixed in with the rage. "The fuck is going on?" Braig mutters to himself. The screams seem to be coming from the other side of the mountain of red rock he's standing beside. Taking off at a jog, he hurries towards the source keeping his guns out just in case.

As he runs he glances up at the mountain. He has to take a double take when he realizes there are rusted steel spires hanging of the mountain nearly the same color of the rock. Now looking closer he can see windows and balconies all crafted out of a mix of steel and rock. What he had previously taken as a mountain is instead an enormous fortress.

A scream rings out again. It sounds like a different person than before and there is something about the voice that sounds familiar, but Braig can't put his finger on it. Now he can hear the sharp clanging of a sword fight and Braig quickens his pace. He rounds one more corner and his eyes widen at the scene before him.

Two boys stand facing each other each breathing hard from the fight they are currently engaged in. Surrounding them like a crowd of onlookers are the same creatures Braig had just fought for the first time. Unversed.

The monsters however merely watch as the boys run at each other with their swords raised and clash in the center of the circle. One of the boys is clad in a black and red body suit that covers everything from the neck down. On his head was a faceless black mask that is spotted in blood.

But it is not the masked boy's blood.

Braig looks to the second boy and lets out a low whistle of surprise. The other boy is nearly unrecognizable under all the blood, but Braig can tell it's Keric. His pale blond hair is matted with blood and his clothes will forever be stained. Keric is fighting what looks to be the fight of his life and he is losing, big time. The masked boy swings his sword, no his _keyblade_, at Keric and the young king has no chance at defending himself. The large black and red keyblade hits him in the side and Keric scream out as it rips through his shirt and cuts deep into him.

Now moaning in pain between harsh breaths, Kerci stumbles backwards away from the keyblade wielder gripping his side. Braig can see the blood seeping through his fingers and for a moment he considers going to help Keric. He quickly brushes away the thought as he doesn't want to end up a bloody mess like Keric. He likes his face to remain unscarred so he remains hidden in the shadows of the fortress walls watching the gory battle with a riveted expression.

Keric stumbles back to the line of Unversed. They make no move to attack him, but they train their beady red eyes on him. "This is your army?" Keric says trying to leer at the masked boy, but the intimidating gesture isn't possible in his condition. "Pfft. Pathetic." Keric stabs his sword through one of creatures. It disappears and the masked boy stumbles back with a groan of pain as if he had been punched.

"Oh? You don't like when I do this!" Keric shouts the last word as he stabs another Unversed and it disappears as well.

The masked boy's head snaps to the side and he groans again. Keric laughs and Braig cringes slightly at the disturbing of image of the laughing boy covered in blood. Another stab and another Unversed disappears. The masked keyblade wielder's head snaps back and he lets out a scream. That quickly stops though as the masked boy's head snaps back down to face Keric and with a roar of fury he charges at the blond boy.

Keric looks terrified as he raises his sword in a half hearted attempt at a block. The keyblade wielder launches himself into the air as he lunges at Keric and then he freezes. Just like that. He freezes in air, not a single muscle moves, not even to breathe.

"What?" Keric asks lowering his sword in surprise. Braig also takes half a step forward in shock and then without warning the masked boy appears in the air behind Keric and slashes down at him before the boy king can even turn around. Without even a cry of pain, Keric falls on his face, his sword slipping out of his fingers and clattering to the rock bed. Braig stares at Keric's unmoving form and sees the image of the frozen masked boy flicker and fade.

"Clever little sneak," Braig mutters rather impressed by the keyblade wielder's move. Said keyblade wielder slowly walks around Keric's still body before raising his keyblade to strike the fatal blow.

"Vanitas!"

The doors of the rock and steel fortress had opened without Braig noticing, but he looks over at the sound of Xehanort's voice and sees the dark keyblade master. Braig looks back at the masked boy whose name must be Vanitas. Vanitas lowers his sword arm and lets the keyblade in his hand disappear.

"What are you doing here, Braig?"

Xehanort is suddenly right beside Braig who jumps in surprise. "Oi! None of that teleporting shit! It freaks me out!" Braig shouts, glaring at Xehanort.

Xehanort returns the glare with even more intensity and Braig knows better than to annoy him further. "Just wanted to see your new home," Braig says gesturing at the fortress. "It's a big step up from that crummy old cave."

As he had talked, Vanitas had made his way over to them. He bore no marks of the battle he had just been in and it made Braig wonder if Keric had even been able to touch him. "So who's the new kid?" Braig asks raising his eyebrow.

"Vanitas. He is the result of my attempt to create the X-blade," Xehanort replies.

"Oh? So you didn't make it?" Braig asks then immediately wishes he had kept his mouth shut as Xehanort's eyes gleam in anger.

"No," Xehanort replies. "Ventus resisted more than expected. He refused to fight with Vanitas here to create the X-blade."

Braig's face darkens in anger. He had only joined forces with the old coot to get a taste of the power of Kingdom Hearts and now he is being told the plan had fallen apart.

"But all is not lost."

"Oh?" Braig says turning to look at Xehanort with a raised eyebrow.

"I had of course expected a different outcome, but it would have been foolish on my part to not have accounted for this possibility." A sneer forms on Xehanort's face as he explains. "I have planned this out for many years. Plans interwoven in plans. No matter how many set backs Eraqus and his accused apprentices leave me with, I will reach my goal. I will create the X-blade and attain the power of Kingdom Hearts!"

"Mmhmm," Briag hums, frowning slightly. It sounded like a whole lot of crazy talk to him. "You gonna clue me in to these oh so great plans?"

"All you need to know is this," Xehanort says fixing him with a cold stare. "Now that Vanitas and Ventus have been separated from one another, Ventus will have to engage in a physical fight with his darker half. There is no way to avoid the creation of the X-blade and when Ventus is defeated it will be in the hands of my own apprentice."

Braig glances at Vanitas who is turned to his master. Although Braig can't see through the mask, he could swear that there was something in Xehanort's words that didn't sit right with the boy from his tense body language.

"Your being here will allow me to rid myself of a small problem however," Xehanort says bringing Braig's attention back to the keyblade master. "That boy," Xehanort motions vaguely in the direction of Keric who is still lying in a small pool of his own blood. "Can stay here no longer."

"Why is he here in the first place?" Braig has to ask.

"With the locking of the keyhole in his world, most of the darkness was drained from the world," Xehanort replies. "People were able to see him for the monster he is and staged a rebellion. His hate is very strong and so are his powers over the darkness. Even though he has never been properly trained he was able to summon a dark corridor and find his way here. I considered for a moment letting him become an apprentice alongside Vanitas, but it has become apparent that will not be possible."

Xehanort glares disapprovingly at Vanitas who lets out a dark chuckle. "I just give the bitch what he deserves," Vanitas says speaking for the first time.

"Ventus' fear of Keric could be useful later and I cannot allow you to kill him," Xehanort says disapprovingly to him apprentice. Vanitas just shrugs and looks away as if bored with the conversation.

"If Keric was a more worthy opponent I would let him stay, but he is no match for Vanitas," Xehanort continues. He ignores Vanitas who laughs darkly again. "Therefore, he has no purpose here. Take him back to your world and let that Ansem take him in. He will be helpful to you later I assure you."

"Helpful how?" Braig asks, but Xehanort just smiles.

"Vanitas, continue the lessons I gave you today," Xehanort commands his apprentice.

"Yes, master," Vanitas replies in a mocking voice. He turns away from them and disappears through the doors of the fortress, taking the remaining Unversed with him.

"Come," Xehanort says to Braig before walking towards the spot where Keric lay. Braig follows, watching the keyblade master carefully. They come to a stop beside the bloodied boy. "Curaga," Xehanort says with a casual wave of his hand. As the green light touches him, Keric groans and stirs slightly. "Take him away," Xehanort says dismissively and begins to walk away.

As Braig struggles to pull the semi conscious teenager to his feet, Xehanort pauses and turns back. "I expect I can count on you in the coming war, Braig." It isn't a question.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Braig says without really caring.

"Good," Xehanort says. "Things will be different when we meet again. Remember, looks can be deceiving."

"What does that mean?" Braig asks confused, but Xehanort has already teleported away. "Crazy old coot," Braig mutters.

Keric's only response is to let out another pitiful moan.

Braig sighs in annoyance. "Now I'm stuck looking after your creepy ass. As if!" He summons a dark corridor and drags Keric through it.

…

"Who are you?"

Keric's slurred words make Braig pause and look down at him. The boy has only one eye open as the other is swollen shut. "Let's just say we gotta a mutual 'friend'," Braig says and continues to pull a stumbling Keric through the garden.

"Van- Vanitas…" Keric is able to force out.

"He's still with the old coot. You won't see him again anytime soon," Braig says.

Keric looks up at him confusion obvious in his eyes.

"Welcome to Radiant Garden," Braig says gesturing around. "True to its name it's got enough light to make you sick. You're living here from now on. You'll be an apprentice or something to Ansem. I guess you could call him the king of this place."

"I'm king…"

"Not anymore kiddo," Braig says earning himself a glare from Keric. "Sorry, but that's all over now. And if you don't want me sending you back to be Vanitas' favorite punching bag I suggest you keep your mouth shut about Carinol. You read me?"

Still glaring, Keric nods sullenly. "Good," Braig says. He looks up to see that they are at the steps that lead up to the castle's front doors. "Just pretend you have amnesia or something. Oh! And go along with whatever I say."

Keric nods his head again, accepting the situation, and they finally reach the flat area before the doors. Dilan catches sight of them and hurries over in concern. "What the hell did you do to him Braig?" The large man demands.

"I didn't do shit to him!" Braig says pushing Keric towards the other guard. Dilan catches him just in time to keep Keric from collapsing to the ground. "I found him like that. All I got out of him is that his name's Keric. Now take him to Ansem before he bleeds out."

Dilan nods quickly and helps Keric walk towards the doors of the castle. Just before they go through, Keric throws one last glare over his shoulder. Now alone outside the castle, Braig puts his hands to his hips and sighs.

"Things are definitely going to start changing," he says with a shake of his head.

* * *

**I think I enjoyed Vanitas beating up Keric a little more than I should. And I like that I knocked him down a peg by making him no longer the King of Carinol. Hah! Take that Keric!**

**The title of this chapter was "When Life Gives You Lemons…" You get it? 'Cause Xehanort got Vanitas (and he's sour like lemons) instead of the X-blade like he wanted, but he's gonna make it work out. See? Lemonade! **

**...Anyway, on to plan B! **_**Plans interwoven in plans. **_**Xehanort's always got a plan to get his precious X-blade. **

**School starts for me tomorrow :( Updates are going to be slower from now on. My goal will be once a week, but I don't know if I'll be able to do that. **

**Mexi: Vani! He still hates Keric for what he did to Ven way back when. **

**MLSoT: I'll try to have a few little fluffy moments between Sora and Kairi. I can definitely see Sora all flustered too. I HAVE to have AkuRoku in the sequel. I can't ever picture them with anyone else! That's too bad about the ****Remnants of Twilight****. I deleted half a story I wrote once (not a fanfiction). Worst thing ever!**

**ShinyGlaceon: :P Not fair! I don't wanna go back to school! **


	47. The Mark of Mastery

Chapter 47 _The Mark of Mastery_

In the month after the trip to Radiant Garden where Kairi became the latest addition to the keyblade wielders at MEKA, things returned to normal. Xehanort hadn't been seen or heard from the entire time and their fear and worry about him became just a nagging thought in the back of their minds. For Terra and Aqua, it was a busy month of rigorous training as their Mark of Mastery exam grew closer. With all their constant training, Ven saw little of them outside meal times, but Ven understood. He filled his boring hours between lessons and babysitting duties of the younger children with visits to Zack. Nearly everyday he found time to travel to Traverse Town and his and Zack's relationship had grown strong.

Ven's only complaint over the last month would be the lack of missions and lessons in other worlds. Terra and Aqua went on many, but Master Eraqus never allowed him to join them. He said it was so they could prepare for the exam without watching him, but Ven knew the truth was Master Eraqus didn't want him out of his sight for too long.

Kairi had immediately become part of the family and was hardly ever seen without Sora and Riku. The three of them spent their days challenging each other to sparring matches and playing hide and seek in the castle.

On Sora's fifth birthday, they all went to Traverse Town for a huge party Tifa threw at the bar. Master Eraqus bought him a crown necklace as a present from all of them at MEKA and he was ecstatic when he opened it. Sora had challenged Riku to a cake eating contest and the two of them ran around on a sugar hide terrorizing the adults until they came crashing back down. Despite being sick later from all the frosting he had eaten, Sora still claimed that it was the best birthday ever.

Despite this, Master Eraqus allowed Ven to visit Traverse Town on his own every once in awhile when he was busy at Master Yen Sid's tower preparing the exam for Terra and Aqua. For those visits, Ven was only allowed to use a light corridor for travel to keep Xehanort from catching him in between worlds.

Now the night before the exam, Ven finds himself wandering the quiet mountain paths of the Land of Departure dreading the coming of the next day when Terra and Aqua would take the exam and pass with flying colors to become masters. The very thought fills Ven with jealousy and then quickly with shame. He should be happy for his friends and to some degree he is, but he wishes more than anything that things wouldn't change for the three of them. That every morning he would still walk down to breakfast and grumble in his normal grouchy morning way at their cheerful greetings. That he and Terra would still spar for fun and Aqua would step in to break it up when the sparing devolved to wrestling.

Ven can feel his heart aching at the thought of never again spending hours after dinner talking and laughing about nothing and everything. He wants them to stay at MEKA with him forever. Who knows how often he would see them after they become masters? Would they visit once a month? Once a year? Would they have time to talk to him or would they be too busy?

"Ven?" Aqua's voice calls making him jump slightly.

Lost in thought, Ven's feet had continued on their own accord and he looks up to find himself at the flat summit of the mountain. Aqua is sitting on the bench by the edge of the cliff with Terra. The two of them are turned to look at him and Ven can tell from their slightly pink faces he had just interrupted a private moment.

"Sorry," he mumbles. "I didn't mean to- I'll just go."

He turns to go back down the mountain path, but is stopped by Aqua. "Ven, is something wrong?"

Ven glances quickly over his shoulder to see that the two of them had stood and are coming over to him with concerned expressions. He turns away from them again before replying, "It's nothing." He knows they are now right beside him, but still refuses to look at them.

"Obviously it's something," Terra says. "You can tell us Ven."

"Are you going to forget about me?" The words tumble out before Ven can snatch them back. Horrified that he had just said that aloud, Ven turns to Terra and Aqua who are looking at him with shocked expressions. Ven hastily says, "What I mean is… when you guys become master, am I going to see you again?" His voice cracks at the end and Ven swallows hard to keep his tears back.

"Ven," Aqua says quietly. She places her hand on his shoulder and gives him a comforting squeeze. "Whatever happens in the exam, Terra and I are coming back to MEKA."

"You are?" Ven asks hope flooding through him at her words.

"Yes, we already talked to Master Eraqus about it," Terra says. "Riku is my apprentice and Kairi is Aqua's. If we become masters, Master Eraqus is going to hand over the responsibility of training them to us. We're not leaving anytime soon, Ven." Terra's words lifts Ven's spirits and he smiles happily at them. "And don't worry," Terra adds. "we could never forget a pain in the ass like you. Believe me, I've tried."

"Hey!" Ven shouts feigning offense. Terra and Aqua start to laugh and Ven quickly joins in.

When the laughing subsides, Aqua pulls something out of her pocket and hides it behind her back so the boys can't see. "Still," she says softly. "We're going to go our own ways eventually. We can't stay here forever."

A sad silence descends on them and Ven looks up at the sky filled with stars. So many worlds are out there. One day, they might be scattered among them as masters fighting to protect the worlds from evil. They couldn't be selfish. If it was necessary, they would have to go their separate ways.

"Here!" Ven looks down just it time to catch the green object Aqua had tossed to him and see Terra catch something orange. "I was planning on giving them to you both tomorrow, but this seems like the best time," Aqua says.

Ven looks curiously at the small star shaped object in his hand. It is made of green stained glass and silver held together by a brown cord. On the top a brown cord is tied with smaller charm also tied to it. In the center is the Mark of Mastery symbol.

"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit," Aqua says. "And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. They're called Wayfinders because you'll always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best I could with what I had."

"Sometimes you are such a girl," Terra says jokingly.

"What do you mean sometimes?" Aqua says giving him a quick kiss.

Ven is still admiring his charm, but frowns and asks, "So this isn't a real good luck charm? It can't really keep us together?"

"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it," Aqua replies.

"Really? What?" Ven asks curiously.

"An unbreakable connection," Aqua says holding up her charm. "No matter where we go and no matter how far we get from each other, our connection will remain for ever. We will always be able to find each other again."

…

"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery," Master Yen Sid says in a serious voice as Terra and Aqua stand at attention in front of him. Master Eraqus is watching from the side of the room and the other apprentices including Mickey are in the adjoining room. "Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates," Master Yen Sid continues. "Remember, this is not a competition. Both of you may prevail, or neither."

Aqua glances over at Terra who gives her a wink and quick smile before returning his attention to Master Yen Sid. Aqua looks back at the wise man as well as he says, "You will be tested on your fighting ability, your resourcefulness, and your speed to see if you show the Mark of Mastery."

Master Yen Sid waves his hand over his desk and a blue book appears before Terra and Aqua. "Terra, Aqua, contained within this book is a world made entirely of magic. Nothing inside of it is real. However, though it may only be an illusion created by myself and Master Eraqus you must treat it as if it were real. Your test is to find your way through the world we have created for you and return here. Time will be your enemy. Be quick. When you return here, I will pass judgement on whether or not you are fit to be masters."

Aqua can feel her heart beating faster than normal from her nerves, but she forces herself to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. This is it. The moment she and Terra had been dreaming of nearly their entire lives. As Master Eraqus steps forward she can see the pride in his eyes as he regards them.

"Part of the test is individual and part of it you will work together," Master Eraqus says to them. "It is important for a keyblade master to be able to succeed on their own and with help from others. Other than that, the details of the test will be revealed once you enter the book. I have the utmost faith in the both of you to show the Mark of Mastery. Good luck and remember, speed is important but haste makes waste. Time will not be the only consideration Master Yen Sid uses to determine if you passed."

Both Terra and Aqua nod to their teacher. Hearing his confidence in them calmed their nerves and made them feel that they are indeed ready for this.

As Master Eraqus takes a step back Master Yen Sid beckons the two candidates forward. "Are you ready to begin?" He asks in a serious voice. Terra and Aqua turn to look at eachother. With their eyes staring deeply into the other's they nod. "Then place a hand on the book."

Hesitantly, Aqua reaches out to the book on the desk in front of her. Terra does the same and they both touch it in the same instance.

To Master Eraqus and Master Yen Sid, it looks as if the two of them dissolve into shimmering stars and are sucked into the magical book. "Good luck," Master Eraqus says again as he stares at the book, lost in thoughts about his apprentices.

"I'll go retrieve the other apprentices," Master Yen Sid says rising from his chair. "No reason they shouldn't use this time to train." Master Eraqus nods distractedly as Master Yen Sid moves to the door of the adjoining room.

…

"So what does it do?" Ven asks Mickey as they stand together in the adjoining room. Sora, Riku, and Kairi are on the other side of the room chasing each other in circles and giggling. The young children are completely oblivious to the importance of today, but Ven has a knot in his stomach from worrying about his friends. Sensing Ven needed a distraction, Mickey had decided to show him what he called a Star Shard that he had in his pocket.

"It's a way of traveling between worlds," Mickey explains holding the shard up so Ven can see it. "It's as fast as a light corridor, but ya don't have to worry about using it too much."

"Where'd you get it?" Ven asks curiously as he admires the blue star shaped crystal.

"Well ya see…" Mickey replies with a small nervous laugh. "It's Master Yen Sid's, but he doesn't know I have it."

"Oh, gotcha," Ven says reaching out a hand to touch the glowing shard lightly. He can feel its energy pulsing under his fingers. "So what would Master Yen Sid do if he found out you had it?"

Mickey laughs nervously again. "I'm sure he would-"

"Mickey!"

Both Ven and Mickey turn to see Master Yen Sid standing in the doorway with Master Eraqus just behind him. Both men's eyebrows are turned down at dangerous angles. Ven guiltily tries to take his hand back, but finds it held firmly by the energy of the Star Shard. "What the?"

He looks down at the shard only to quickly close his eyes as it begins to glow too brightly to look at. The bright white light grows bigger, enveloping both Ven and Mickey. They disappear into the orb of light which shrinks to the size of a tennis ball.

The ball of light shoots into the air and bounces off the walls and ceilings. Sora, Kairi, and Riku have to duck quickly to avoid being hit as it flies over their heads and out the window. The two masters rush to the window and watch the orb of light fly away erratically and disappear into the stars.

There is stunned silence for a moment before it is broken by Sora saying, "That was cool! Do it again!" Riku and Kairi join him in chanting, "Do it again!", until Master Eraqus hushes them with a serious look.

"Where would that have taken them Yen Sid?" Master Eraqus asks in a tight voice.

"Star Shards are notoriously unpredictable," Master Yen Sid replies lowering his head slightly. "I warned Mickey countless times of the danger of playing with it. It takes a carefully trained mind to control it. I'm afraid Mickey and Ventus had no control over their destination when it went shooting off."

Master Eraqus nods having been thinking along the same lines. He walks back to the study with Master Yen Sid following and closes the doors behind them so the children won't hear their discussion. Master Eraqus paces as he talks. "Xehanort is still at large and looking to use Ventus for his twisted plans. We need to get them back before their path cross with his. But how are we going to find them?"

Master Yen Sid sits slowly in his chair. "There is a way to locate them."

"What are you thinking?" Master Eraqus says pausing in his pacing to watch the other man.

Master Yen Sid closes his eyes and moves his hand in a circle over his desk. Purple smoke appears and when it clears there is a light purple orb sitting on the desk. Master Yen Sid picks it up and balances it in the palm of his hand. "Show me Mickey," he says in a commanding voice. In response the orb darkens in color.

Master Eraqus moves closer and his eyes widen. Now in the center of the orb is an image of Ven and Mickey. Both are lying in what appears to be a field of wildflowers with the Star Shard lying between them. As the masters watch, their apprentices stir and slowly get to their feet. They are talking, but the orb has no sound. Both turn and look at a large castle in the distance. They return to talking as Mickey gently picks up the Star Shard. They both stiffen and whirl around to stare at something the masters can't see. The two apprentices quickly run off and disappear from the image. The image of the wildflowers fades as Master Yen Sid places the orb back on the desk.

"I did not recognize that place," Master Eraqus says. "Did you?"

Master Yen Sid shakes his head. "It was unfamiliar to me. Go Eraqus. Find them. I'll monitor Terra and Aqua's test and watch the children. Go find Ventus before Xehanort does. Here." Master Yen Sid hands the orb to Master Eraqus who takes it gingerly. "If you need to see them simply ask it to show them to you."

Master Eraqus gives Master Yen Sid a quick nod and carefully puts the little orb in his pocket. He quickly hurries out of the room and down the many staircases before finally bursting out the front doors. Wasting no time he toss his keyblade and hops on the glider that returns. As he shoots away into the sky, he silently hopes that Ven and Mickey would stay put and stay safe until he found them.

* * *

**ShinyGlaceon: As much satisfaction as I'd get out of having Ven beat up Keric I don't see it happening this story. Maybe in the sequel… But for this story Keric's role is basically done.**

**So remember way back when in like the first chapter when I mentioned that Terra and Aqua were nearly ready for their mastery exam? Well I finally got around to it! Haha I'll pretend I've been planning for it to be like this all along, but truthfully I just forgot that it needed to be in this story...**

**The next few chapters will be half Terra and Aqua's exam (which will be nothing like the one in the game if you didn't notice that already) and half Ven and Mickey's adventures with the Star Shard. **

**Update on my life: School sucks. It takes up all my time. I have a headache.**

**Happy belated Labor Day! (Does anyone actually know what that holiday is for? I mean, at my school we get a four day weekend for Labor Day and no days off for Rosh Hashanah later this week. Does that even make sense? What the hell is so special about freaking Labor Day!)**

**Random rant about Labor Day over… REVIEW :)**


	48. Into the Woods

Chapter 48 _Into the Woods_

Aqua blinks in the sudden sunlight of the brightly colored world she has just entered. The sky is just a shade too blue to be real and the grass trimmed too perfectly. She is standing alone on a dirt path weaving through the field towards a forest and a mountain range far in the distance. The wind blew through her hair, whistling in her ears with an almost musical sound. It blew from behind, urging her to walk down the path to the mountains.

"Right, the test," Aqua murmurs to herself as she begins to run at a light jog. She runs for several minutes and yet the mountains don't seem much closer. There is nothing in the world to see except the far away mountain range growing bigger at a snail's pace so she lets her thoughts wander.

She wonders what Terra is doing. This was obviously the individual part Master Eraqus had told them to expect. Her stomach twists slightly as she imagines what sort of test is lined up for the two of them. When Master Yen Sid had said that speed was important, she had expected to be faced with hordes of heartless and only a small amount of time to defeat them, but instead all she is doing is running through the quiet field. Maybe it is just a race?

If it is simply a race, there would have to be obstacles and the first one presented itself to her at that moment in the form of the Guard Armor heartless she and Terra had fought with their friends in Traverse Town.

Despite its sudden appearance on the path in front of her, Aqua doesn't even pause. She runs faster at it as her keyblade appears in her hand and jumps into the air high enough to be at the heartless' eye level. Her keyblade connects with a clang on its helmeted head and it is sent flying off its feet. It lands on its back in the grass to the side of the path, but before it can get back up, Aqua points her keyblade at it and yells, "Stopaga!"

With the heartless frozen in time, Aqua rushes to its side and unleashes a fury of attacks on its motionless body. Each attack leaves barely a scratch on the armored heartless and all too soon the stop spell wears off and the Guard Armor knocks Aqua away with one of its large hands. She performs an aerial recovery to regain her balance in the air and land on her feet.

The Guard Armor is also on its feet and begins to contort its body in a strange way. It takes until she is staring down the barrel of the glowing cannon of what used to be its torso for Aqua to remember the attack. She dives out of the way just in time as a huge ball of energy is shot at where she had been standing a moment ago.

As soon as it passes over her head, she jumps back to her feet. The Guard Armor is already preparing for another attack and Aqua decides to hold her ground as the cannon glows brightly again. She prepares herself as well and as the heartless shoots another ball of energy at her, she launches into her Wishing Edge attack. As she flips through the air her power builds and on the final turn she swings her keyblade which connects with the ball of energy, releasing all her power on it.

The ball of energy is deflected by her move and is sent flying back to its creator. When the ball of energy hits the Guard Armor, it explodes with a loud bang. The heartless itself is defeated and as Aqua watches, it dissolves into pixels of every color of the rainbow and vanishes into the blue sky.

Aqua smiles to herself as she goes back to the path to continue her journey. She halts in surprise however to discover that she is at the edge of the forest at the base of the mountain range. She looks back over her shoulder in surprise. Somehow defeating the boss heartless had caused her to suddenly jump all the way here. Knowing she can't waste time pondering this, she sets off at a jog once more into the trees.

In the forest it is dim and gloomy. Aqua sets her eyes on the path in front of her and moves along at a steady pace. Trees flash by and so do side paths. Aqua ignores them however as they aren't as wide as her own. This is the one she had been set on to follow and all the others are mere distractions, so she keeps her eyes on the path she is on and heads deeper into the woods.

…

Terra blinks as his eyes adjust to the dim light of the forest. He'd suddenly found himself standing at the trees after defeating the Guard Armor heartless that he and Aqua had faced in Traverse Town. Now he is hurrying along the path through the woods that twists and turns making him lose his sense of direction entirely and forcing him to rely completely on the path to show him the way.

A break in the trees to his right makes him stop and peer curiously down a small path only a fourth of the width of the one he is on. It veers off from the path he is on, but quickly disappears in the overgrown foliage. Terra turns away from it and continues along the big path at a steady jog.

Less than a minute later he spots another side path, but like the first one it only leads a few paces before fading away. He passes several more of these fake paths, but each is the same. Still, he checks each one and finally comes to one half as wide as the path he is on that seems to be a real path.

He decides to see where if anywhere it leads and turns off the main path. Twenty paces in, the path takes a sharp turn. Terra jumps in surprise to see a young girl who looked to be about ten sitting in the center of the path blocking his way.

"Hello," he says hesitantly.

She looks up at him with stormy grey eyes that look too old for her young face. Without taking her eyes off him, she stands and brushes dirt from her light green dress. "Hello Terra," she says in a voice that, like her eyes, doesn't suit her age. "Why did you leave the main path? Did you think it would not take you where you needed to go?"

"Well, no," Terra replies. "I'm sure if I follow that path I'll get to my goal eventually, but I thought this might be a shortcut."

The girl nods with a serious expression. "This is indeed a shortcut," she says. "However, before I let you continue, I must ask you a question."

"Ok," Terra says rather apprehensively.

The girl steps right up to him with her hands clasped behind her back. "There are many paths in life. Some we choose to take and some we are forced down. If the path you wander is dark and there isn't even moonlight to guide you, would you give up and lay down in the darkness?"

Terra's mouth falls open and it takes him a moment to reply. "Never. It may be hard to wander such a path, but I'd never give up. I'd find a way to make it to the end."

Her stormy grey eyes stare deeply into his before she steps back. "Goodbye, Terra."

Then, like the Guard Armor heartless, she dissolves into pixels of every color and they rise into the sky. Terra stands lost in thought looking at the stop she had stood. "Right, the test," he whispers to himself before shaking thoughts of what the girl had said to him from his mind and hurrying down the path that she had confirmed as a shortcut.

...

Ven groans as he pushes himself to his feet. "What happened?" He asks rubbing the back of his head and looking around. The Mysterious Tower had disappeared and around him he saw blue skies and butterflies. Looking down at his feet he realizes he is standing a small field of wildflowers.

"The Star Shard musta taken us to another world."

Ven turns around to see Mickey is also on his his feet beside him. "Do you know what this world is?" Ven asks.

"Not sure," Mickey replies. He looks down nervously at the Star Shard still lying among the flowers. "We should get back. Master Yen Sid is going to be furious with me."

"Aw I don't want to go back yet," Ven says giving Mickey a pout. "Look! There's a castle over there. Why don't we explore a little?"

Mickey turns to look at the castle Ven is talking about. "Gosh, I don't know Ven…" Mickey says slowly.

"C'mon," Ven says coaxingly. "It'll be fun."

Mickey frowns and stoops to carefully pick up the Star Shard. "I'm sure Master Eraqus is worried about ya."

"He worries too much," Ven says dismissively. "Just five minutes, Mickey. I haven't explored a new world in ages."

Before Mickey can reply, a shrill scream echoes around the empty meadow and the two of them spin around in shock to stare at the dark forest where the scream had come from. "C'mon!" Ven shouts as he races into the trees with Mickey only half a step behind.

The dark branches overhead cut off all light from the sun leaving them in twilight. A rough path leads through the trees and Ven and Mickey follow it at a sprint until they come to a clearing where a girl sits at the base of one of the trees sobbing.

"Hey," Ven calls softly and she looks up startled. Her eyes are large with fear and she quickly scrambles to her feet. "We're not going to hurt you," Ven says quickly holding his hands out to show her. "We just heard a scream and came to see what was going on. Was it you that screamed?"

"Ye-yes," the girl says wiping her eyes. Her skin is as pale as snow and her hair is as black as ebony. Against her pale skin, her ruby lips stand out in sharp contrast. "These horrible trees, they tried to grab me," she says quietly.

Ven and Mickey quickly look around, but the trees are nothing more than trees. Turning back to the girl Ven says with a smile, "I'm Ven and this is Mickey. What's your name?"

"Snow White," came the hesitant reply.

"It's okay Snow White," Ven says gently. "You were probably just seeing things. It happens to all of us when we're afraid. Suddenly it seems like there are monsters in every corner."

Ven smiles to himself remembering when Terra had told him the same thing. He'd been seeing yellow eyes in the corner of his room in the middle of the night, but Terra had reassured him that everything was fine. Yellow eyes...didn't Xehanort have yellow eyes like that? Had Ven really imagined them or was there some truth in what he had seen?

"Oh, thank you," Snow White says, shaking Ven from his thoughts. "I feel quite better now."

She smiles happily at him and Ven tries to smile back. The hair on the back of his neck is standing up and he suddenly wants nothing more than to get out of the dark forest as quickly as possible.

"Do ya have someplace safer to stay than the forest?" Mickey asks worriedly.

"Oh, yes," Snow White replies. "The dwarves' cottage is just through there." She points to the far edge of the clearing where there is a small break in the trees that leads back out into the sunlight. "I just came here to find some berries. I wish to make a lovely pie for the dwarves to eat when they come home. Well, I should be getting along now. Goodbye and thank you Ven and Mickey."

With a cheerful wave, she begins to skip towards the other side of the clearing. "It's time for us to go home too, Ven," Mickey says and Ven looks down at him.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he admits with a sigh. The two apprentices turn back towards the way they came when a scream halts them. Whirling around, they see Snow White cowering on the ground in front of a tree that had come to life. It's crooked branches had turned to finger and are reaching out for her.

"No!" Ve shouts summoning his keyblade. He starts to run at the tree, but before he reaches Snow White, a gold blur flies past his head and strikes the tree trunk causing it to stop its reaching for the girl. Mickey jumps forward to catch his keyblade as it comes back to his hand.

"Ven, protect Snow White and get her out of here!" Mickey cries as all the trees in the clearing come to life and Snow White screams in fear again.

"Right," Ven says quickly and races to Snow White's side. "C'mon," he says pulling her to her feet. She clings to his arm in fear and he does his best to hurry her out of the forest. Before they reach the safety of the sunlight however, a huge branch suddenly swings down at them. Ven ducks, pulling Snow White down with him, and feels the branch just graze his hair.

Ven straightens up and turns to face the tree while making sure Snow White is behind him. The bark of the tree had twisted into a ghoulish face and the finger like branches are reaching towards him again. He deflects one swipe of the branches, but the tree doesn't seem to be bothered. It comes back for another attack, but Ven quickly points his keyblade at the trunk of the tree and shouts, "Fira!"

The fireball hits the tree and briefly engulfs it in flames. The tree shakes and a high pitched scream is heard before the fire vanishes and the tree is just a tree once more. Ven stands shocked for a moment, before Snow White's hand grips his arm tighter and he remembers what he should be doing.

"Hurry," he says to her as he starts to run towards the break in the trees again. Another tree leers out at them, but Ven dodges around it's crooked fingers, dragging Snow White with him. Twenty more steps and they burst into the sunshine on one side of a quaint brook. Snow White's grip lessens, but she still lets Ven lead her across the small bridge to the other side of the brook where a small cottage stands.

"Stay here," Ven says to Snow White as he directs her to sit on a large stump. "I gotta go back and help Mickey."

"Wait Ven!" Snow White calls as he runs back towards the forest. He doesn't stop however and just gives her a wave over his shoulder as he disappears once more into the trees. "Thank you," Snow White whispers after him.

Back in the twilight of the forest, Ven quickly spots Mickey trying to fend off the branches of two different trees that have the mouse trapped between them. "Fira!" Ven shouts again and one of the trees bursts into flames. Mickey uses the sudden fireball as a distraction so he can slip past the other tree's branches and attack its trunk with his keyblade. Three solid hits and a combo finish later, the tree lets out the same high pitched wail as the ones Ven had set fire too and it reverts back to a normal tree.

Ven hurries to Mickey's side and asks, "Did you defeat all the others?"

Mickey nods, "Yep! Is Snow White safe?"

"Yeah, I left her by a cottage over there," Ven says pointing in the direction she was in. Out of the corner of his eye he spots something lying in the dark grass. "Oh Mickey, you dropped it."

"Huh?" Mickey says looking down. "Oh! The Star Shard! It musta fallen out when I was fightin' those strange trees."

Both Mickey and Ven lean down and reach to pick up the blue star. As soon as their hands make contact with it, a ball of light envelops them and once more they are sent shooting off into space.

…

"Excuse me, Miss."

"Hm?" Snow White looks up and smiles curiously at the man who is approaching her from the direction of the Dwarf Mines.

"My name is Eraqus. I was wondering if you had seen my friends, Mickey and Ventus," Master Eraqus asks. This is the tenth world he had hopped to and each had obviously not been the one he had seen in Master Yen Sid's orb. This world however reminded him of the scene he had seen and his suspicions are confirmed when Snow White says,

"Oh yes, I just met Mickey and a boy named Ven. Is he the Ventus you're looking for?"

"Yes," Master Eraqus says letting out a sigh of relief. "Do you know where they are now?"

"After Ven brought me here, he went back to help Mickey. They are in the forest fighting off those horrible trees," Snow White replies with a shudder. She points towards the dark woods.

"Thank you very much," Master Eraqus says quickly as he starts to hurry towards the forest.

"When you find them can you tell them thank you for saving me?" Snow White calls after him with a smile and Master Eraqus nods before entering the dark woods.

As his eyes adjust to the gloom, Master Eraqus peers around. He doesn't see Ven or Mickey or any horrible trees. "Ventus? Mickey?" He calls softly walking farther in. He reaches the middle of the clearing and sighs. As he reaches into his pocket for the orb to find out where they had gone, he hears a crashing sound behind him. He whirls around and summons his keyblade to find himself looking up at the biggest tree he has ever seen. And it is on the move.

Its roots form four legs that it stomps towards him on. Master Eraqus immediately recognizes it for what it is, an unversed. Master Eraqus falls into a battle stance as the huge unversed comes to a halt before him. It's glowing red eyes narrow at him and with his keyblade swinging in preparation, Master Eraqus charges the monster.

* * *

**Well that will keep Master Eraqus busy for a while. I'm sorry to say I won't actually write his fight scene with the Mad Treant because there is already too much going on with Terra and Aqua, and Ven and Mickey. **

**I'm kicking myself right now because I forgot to mention that Sora had his fifth birthday at the beginning of the last chapter. I added it now if you want to go back and read. It's just like two paragraphs right at the beginning. Sorry! It totally slipped my mind that I wanted to mention it.**

**SnowKawasagi: Terra won't go dark side during the exam. He will never willingly go dark, but he'll get mixed up in some dark stuff later. **

**Any guesses as to where Ven and Mickey are going next? I'll give you a hint. It will be a world Ven's been to before.**


	49. Attack First, Ask Questions Later

Chapter 49 _Attack First, Ask Questions Later_

The shortcut path Terra follows in much straighter than the first one he had been on. He hurries along at a quick pace and in less than 10 minutes he breaks out of the cover of the trees and finds himself on a narrow ledge that had a sheer drop to the floor of the valley far below. Terra looks across the valley to the far side and the mountain in the distance.

To his right, Terra spots a small bridge across the valley and he walks over to it. Sitting cross legged in front of the bridge is a fifteen or sixteen year old boy with a sword in his lap. He looks up and smiles slightly as Terra stops in front of him.

"Hello Terra," the boy says in a voice that seems too old for him. His grey eyes stare deeply into Terra's. "Your goal lies just beyond this bridge."

"So are you going to let me pass?" Terra asks warily. The boy doesn't reply and instead slowly gets to his feet, and raises his sword. "Right," Terra says. "Let's fight."

Terra summons his keyblade and swings it down at the boy's shoulder, but the boy spins to the side and Terra's keyblade cuts through air. As he spins, the boy slashes at Terra's stomach, but Terra blocks his sword just in time. The boy recovers almost right away and stabs at Terra's chest. Terra deflects the blade and follows up with a stab of his own, but the boy leans back and lets the keyblade pass over him. Terra is left off balance and is forced to hastily stumble back as the boy slashes at his left side.

Terra takes several steps back to get a breather and study his opponent. The boy returns to his position just in front of the bridge and stands watching Terra with his sword at his side. Terra runs back at him with his keyblade raised. Terra moves to swing at the boy in an overhead attack, but at the last second he instead changes his target to the boy's hip hoping to fool him with a feint. The boy's sword however changes direction just as fast and meets Terra's keyblade in a block.

Again Terra jumps back, but the boy remains in the same spot as ever, watching Terra with those emotionless grey eyes. Terra growls under his breath and turns to the magic inside him. He lets it build and build as his begins to glow a faint gold color. After a moment he lets all the energy surge out in a devastating attack known as Zantetsuken. Terra has used the extremely powerful attack on numerous heavily armored heartless and killed them in the single blow, but as his keyblade cuts down towards the boy he simply raises his sword in a block. Terra's keyblade slams into his sword and to Terra's shock the boy is able to hold the block.

Terra tries not to show his shock and begins a rapid assault on the boy of quick blows, but each is met by the boy's sword blocking just in the nick of time. Terra can feel the sweat drop from his brow as he and the boy exchange blow after blow. Neither is able to leave a scratch on the other and five minutes later, Terra is ready to keel over from exhaustion while the boy looks as fresh as ever.

Terra jumps back from the boy to take a breather and like always the boy remains in his position right in front of the bridge. Terra takes several deep breaths while looking the boy up and down trying to find a flaw to exploit, but from what he has seen so far from the boy he is as perfect a swordsman as Terra has ever seen.

But he is only a swordsman.

Terra points his keyblade at the boy. "Bind!" He shouts and the boy's eyes widen slightly as he finds himself unable to move under the spell. "Fira! Blizzara!" The fireball explodes on impact and is followed up by a blast of ice crystals.

For the first time the boy looks pained by Terra's attacks and Terra knows he has finally found a weakness. "Firaga!" Terra shouts and manipulates the magic into a move known as Fission Firaga. Flames explode around the boy and when they fade the bind spell also wears off. They boy collapses to the ground and lies there unmoving.

Terra slowly approaches. The boy stirs and pushes himself to his feet, but leaves his sword lying on the ground. "You have won this battle Terra," he says. "But remember, not all battles can be won. In war, the only battle that counts is the final one. Do not despair at a lost battle, the war carries on. You must be prepared to see it all the way to the end."

"What?" Terra asks confused.

"Goodbye, Terra." And the boy bursts into a million pixels that float up and away. Terra lets his keyblade disappear and looks to the other side of the bridge where a path leads to the mountain. The boy's final statement still ringing in his ears, Terra hurries across the bridge to continue the test.

…

Ven's first reaction is to panic.

One moment he had been in the woods with Mickey and the next the star shard had sent them flying off. Now he is tumbling through water with no clue which way is up and which is down. He forces his eyes open and tries to make sense of the bright colors flashing by him as he tumbles.

Finally, the tumbling stops and he's floating upright. Holding his breath, Ven tries to kick towards what he thinks is the surface, but his legs don't respond right and he is sent careening sideways through the water again. His heart beating fast, he looks down and his eyes bug out seeing that he no longer had legs, but a bright blue tail. He gasps in shock before clamping his hands over his mouth to keep water from rushing in. However, he realizes the little water he had taken in is more like air than water. Cautiously, he opens his mouth and discovers he can breathe underwater.

As his heart rate comes down from the initial shock, Ven is able to remember that some worlds can alter his form. That just left the question of what world this is.

"There ya are Ven!"

Ven looks up to see a black shape descending to him. "Mickey?" Ven asks in wonder.

"Uh huh," Mickey replies giving Ven a big smile. The mouse had changed form as well his bottom half had been transformed into octopus legs and he is holding the star shard in his hand. "Gosh, isn't this world beautiful."

"I-I guess," Ven stammers still trying to take his friend's changes. He looks around at the white sandy bottom dotted with brightly colored shells and the light blue rock formations. Arrows that look like tridents point the way to a castle the color of seaweed a little ways in the distance. It looks like it should be a lively place, but shrouds of black are draped over coral columns and the silence of the world seems depressing.

"I don't recognize this place. Have ya ever been here before?" Mickey asks.

"Not sure," Ven says thoughtfully, looking down at himself. "Maybe. Let's see if anyone is at the castle."

It takes a little bit of practice, but soon Ven and Mickey are swimming in their new forms like they had lived under the sea all their lives. They enter the castle still seeing no one and continue to follow the trident arrows to what seems to be a throne room with large pillars around a tall throne. An impossibly large clam is propped open on the ground before the throne and as they approach, Ven realizes someone is lying on the cushioned inside.

It is woman. Her auburn hair is spayed around her head with a small gold crown perched on top of it. Her eyes are closed and her hands are clasped over her chest. She could have been asleep, but her skin is too pale and her body too still.

"Queen Athena," Ven breathes out. Mickey moves closer to the woman and touches her wrist lightly. "Is she...dead?" Ven asks quietly. Mickey doesn't respond, but lowers his head and lets his hand drop.

"Get away from her!"

The angry roar made Ven and Mickey spin around to face the entrance to the throne room only to be blasted by a bolt of energy. Both are sent flying away from the dead queen and slam into the columns around the throne. The Star Shard in Mickey's hand falls to the sandy ocean floor.

Ven rights himself and shakes his head to dispel the dizziness from hitting the column so hard. He looks up to see King Triton pointing a glowing golden trident at him with a look of rage that bordered on insanity. A small crab floated in the water beside the king's head glaring just as angrily at Ven.

"How dare you show your face in here!" King Triton shouts making the water shake with the volume of his voice. The trident in his hand glows a little brighter.

"King Triton wait!" Ven says hurriedly, holding his hands up slightly to show he is unarmed. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. It's me, Ven. I killed the sea monster for you a couple months ago."

"I know exactly who you are boy," Triton growls. "You're a malevolent, backstabbing, murderous keyblade wielder! It was foolish of me to pretend any of your kind could do anything but bring despair and destruction."

Another bolt of energy shoots out of the trident at Ven's head, but he drops down quickly to avoid it. "King Triton please!" Ven yells inching his way away from the enraged king to where Mickey is floating. "I haven't done anything-"

"Lies!" King Triton thunders. "My guards saw you. They saw the boy with the key for a sword stab my beloved Athena in her heart!"

Ven's mouth drops open in shock. "I didn't...I...it wasn't me," he stammers. Triton however doesn't seem to hear him and with a roar of fury he unleashes another blast from his trident. Ven dodges it and shouts, "Mickey!"

"Here Ven!" Mickey shouts from the ocean floor. Ven dives down narrowly avoiding another blast. Mickey holds up the Star Shard to him and as soon as Ven touches it a light envelops them both and they shoot off again with King Triton's final scream fading away.

…

After nearly 20 minutes of following a meandering path through the woods, Aqua finally makes it to the end of the forest path and found herself looking down at a sheer drop. Looking out, she can see a path leading towards the mountain on the other side of the valley. Out of the corner of her eye she spots a bridge across and hurries over.

She stops short seeing a boy about fifteen or sixteen sitting cross legged before the bridge, blocking her path. He looks up and gives her a ghost of a smile. "Hello Aqua." His voice is too old for him and his grey eyes stare hauntingly into hers. "Your goal lies just beyond this bridge."

"Uh...thank you for telling me," Aqua says cautiously. "Would you mind letting me pass?"

The boy doesn't reply and instead slowly gets to his feet, and raises his sword. Aqua summons her keyblade and falls into a battle stance to prepare for his attack, but he makes no move to do so.

Slowly, Aqua relaxes slightly from her stance, but she remains alert for him to make a move. "Is fighting the only way to get across?"

The boy regards her for a moment before lowering his sword. "No. You can answer a question to continue."

"Alright," Aqua says letting her keyblade disappear. "What is your question?"

"You posses the keyblade, a weapon with the greatest power. You wield it well and it will always serve you well in battle. I can tell it is very important to you. Would you give it up to save another?"

"I…" Aqua is stunned by the question. She swallows hard and says in a quiet voice, "Of course."

The boy nods and steps to the side to allow Aqua to pass. Slowly, she walks past him feeling shaken by his question. Before she knows it she has crossed the bridge and is on a path leading to a mountain in the distance.

"Aqua." She turns back to see the boy now on this side of the bridge. He says, "Not all battles can be won. In war, the only battle that counts is the final one. Do not despair at a lost battle, the war carries on. You must be prepared to see it all the way to the end."

"What do you mean? How do I prepare?" She asks.

"Goodbye, Aqua."

"Wait!" She calls reaching a hand out to him, but he's gone, dissolved into pixels of color and disappearing into the sky. She lets her hand drops to her side and sighs. She turns back to face the mountain. With a set look of determination, she hurries down the rocky path to meet the next challenge.

...

"Master Yen Sid! Master Yen Sid! Master Yen Sid!"

Master Yen Sid sighs in annoyance and put down his pen. He turns to Kairi who is tugging on the sleeve of his robe.

"Master Yen Sid, I want my doll!" Kairi says with a pout.

"Where is your doll Kairi?" Master Yen Sid grudgingly asks.

"With Grandma," Kairi says. "I left her there to keep her safe, but I want to see her."

"I'm sorry Kairi, but I cannot take you to Radiant Garden right now," Master Yen Sid replies. Kairi's face falls and her eyes get big and wet. "It's not possible for me to get you your doll at this time," Master Yen Sid says trying to get the young girl to see the logical reason she can't have her doll right now. "I am monitoring Terra and Aqua's test and watching you, Sora, and Riku for Master Eraqus."

"I want my doll! I want my doll! I want my doll!" Kairi starts to cry and Master Yen Sid rubs his temple. He's starting to get a headache from dealing with these children.

"No need to cry Kairi," he says. "I've got something better than your doll for you to play with."

For a moment the tears stop and Kairi looks up at Master Yen Sid. "What is it?" She asks with a sniff.

"It's a...well...this," Master Yen Sid says waving his hand and putting together some hasty magic. In his hand appears a yellow and green creature that looks like a small bunny with very large ears. It blinks and looks around in confusion.

Kairi squeals. "It's so cute! What's it's name?"

"You can name it," Master Yen Sid says handing Kairi the creature. "Now run along and play."

"I'm gonna call you Me Me Bunny!" Kairi says cuddling the creature. She skips out of Master Yen Sid's office and into the adjoining room.

Master Yen Sid sighs and returns his attention to the paperwork in front of him. However, he is interrupted by a tugging at his sleeve again. He looks down to see Sora and Riku next to him. "Can we have one of those too?" Sora asks with his best puppy dog look.

Master Yen Sid takes a deep breath and waves his hand. Two new creatures appear and he hands them to the young boys.

"Thank you Master Yen Sid," Riku says examining his creature.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sora says hugging his blue creature tight. The two turn away from Master Yen Sid. As they walk away he hears Sora say, "I'm gonna name mine Meow Wow. What about you, Riku?"

"Pricklemane," Riku says. "Because his mane is prickly."

The two boys leave the study and Master Yen Sid returns to his work. He works uninterrupted for several minutes, but of course that can't last. He looks up as the three children and their new magic creatures enter his study again. He raises an eyebrow as the three of them shift uncomfortably in front of him.

"What is it children?" He asks.

Sora, Kairi, and Riku exchange looks before Riku blurts out, "Meow Wow had an accident!"

Master Yen Sid's patience his holding only by a wisp of a thread. "Thank you for informing me," he says in a tight voice. "Tell me, do you ever have nap time at MEKA?"

The three nod. "Everyday," Kairi says.

"Yeah, Master Eraqus says it's his favorite time of day," Sora adds.

Master Yen Sid isn't surprised. "Alright, let's have nap time." A wave of his hand and pillows and blankets appear on the floor in front of his desk. The children quickly curl up with their new pets and soon fall asleep.

Master Yen Sid raises his eyes to the windows and the starry sky outside. "Eraqus, hurry."

* * *

**Now we know Triton hates keyblade wielders because one of them killed his wife, but if it wasn't Ven then who was that boy with a keyblade? **

**Poor Yen Sid. I just felt like throwing the Dream Eaters in. No they aren't going to be part of the story. They're just some random things created by Master Yen Sid's magic to occupy the children. **

**LightzMusic22: You changed your username and confused me! Haha I figured it out though. Zack will most definitely be mentioned. Keric too, but probs not Carinol. Vanitas...idk...**


End file.
